Light Gone Astray
by Damien T. Wolf
Summary: An epic story told during the time when life in Midgard was simple or was it the calm before the storm? A Blacksmith must take the reins of fate once more and discover that those afraid of the dark has never known what the light can do...Chapter 5 now up!
1. Author's Note and PROLOGUE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Before playing Ragnarok I've been playing text-based RPGs and I've always enjoyed writing fics. However, when I played Ragnarok I never thought that I could ever make a fic about it. But a long time before this I have been playing Counterstrike and as a treat to my clanmates and friends I decided to make a CT fan fic with all my clan mates as characters in it. I never did get to finish my Tom Clancy-ish attempt at my first novel, though. (Hate it when laziness stumbles in)

Now, just for the heck of it.. I thought what if I can make an RO fan fic with my guild mates also part of the cast of characters? Thus this fic came to creation.

LIGHT GONE ASTRAY was actually a guild, my own guild created just before WOE was launched. Due to personal reasons, I quit playing for a while and my guildmates joined the guild of some close friends of ours... the DARK DESCENDANTS. When, my passion for RO came back I found myself also joining DD and I've been here ever since. If you know the Dark Descendants members, you will probably see a few familiar names in the fic.

Now that's aside, here are some notes about the fic. Readers will discover it revolves around a specific character. But of course, this is my story after all so my characters will be in the limelight. /gg Hope that's not a problem and people will still enjoy the story because I've made it as RO-ish as I could. The character skills are slightly exaggerated in power perhaps to present it in good graphic detail. This may disturb some of those hard-core RO-aficionados who want to see the skills represented like they are in the game but THIS IS MY WORLD. And you cant do anything bout it Nya nya!

About the timeline, RO-wise, It would have to be before the introduction of the second jobs. And at this timeline, the king of Prontera was King Tristam the 1st.

I've long since quit playing RO when I got hacked but I kind of got some inspiration again to at least finish this fic.

Anyway, I sure do appreciate comments, suggestions and reactions. About typos and spelling, I haven't been able to proof-read this completely but I could say its readable anyway. Enjoy! :D 

**PROLOGUE: TENDER ORCHID**

It was a night just like any other it would seem. But as in with all tragic stories, the perfect backdrop for a tragedy was the most serene of atmospheres. In this case, a calm but dark night was the only clue that fate was about to make a crossing. A man and a young girl run through the deep forest that was still part of Payon country. The man could hear the rustling of leaves growing stronger with every heartbeat. A look behind him only gives credence to what is inevitable – they are going to die.

"Daddy, I can't run anymore. I'm t-too tired." A voice pleads just behind him. The man looks at his daughter who for the past hour has been running behind him as fast as her skinny legs can. The fact that the firm grip he had on her arm were leaving red marks on her pale skin has not dampened his resolve to hold his daughter with all his might, as if the very shadows of the forest could snatch her from him. He was not exactly wrong in that idea…

No. She can't be tired. Not now. Not in this place.

"Daddy, please…"

He looks back again one more time. This time the rustling seems to have stopped and he decides to take a little rest-- but only for a few seconds. Death never waits for more than that. He looks at his young daughter, barely even eleven years old. Full of life. Too young for even the thought of death. He manages a smile to assuage her fears at least for the moment. He kneels down and strokes her cheek.

"You promise me that whatever happens, you will keep running. No matter what you see. No matter if y—if you cant see me anymore." He could barely look at her now.

"Daddy NO!"

"LISTEN TO ME! This is not the Payon forest that you've known. You run, hear me? Run as fast as you can. Do not look back. Please, darl—"

The inevitable started from the South, a low guttural roar that can never come from any man or beast. Twenty meters to the left of where the man and his daughter stood, a pack of Elder Willows scurried away. Even the feared monsters of the forest have fears of their own this night. For the man and his daughter, though, there was no escape. Ferdomear, retired Colonel of Prontera's council of knights and revered instructor of the Prontera's Cavalier Academy knew this from the bottom of his heart. But if he could only slow the monster down. Enough for his daughter to run. A few precious minutes. He drew his sword from the scabbard; it still shone with the same luster as if he was still young again. But many a year has gone by since he last drew the weapon out. He had many adventures with the sword. Its beauty pierced through the darkness like a beacon of hope in a surreal world of gnarled leaves and unfriendly shadows. He could almost remember riding his trusted Pecopeco to battle from the invaders from Morroc, defending his beloved city, the Jewel of Midgard from attack.

But those days were over. Those **_years_** were over. Now he was an old man, dull and gray, but to defend his daughter, he must be strong, pull from the courage he once had and protect his daughter from this being. He looks at the girl and motioned for her to hide in a small brush which she promptly obeyed. She was young but old enough never to argue with anyone holding a sword. Especially if it is her father.

Ferdomear took a combat stance and held his sword out in front of him with both hands. A long time ago, Ferdomear was feared for his speed and the lightness of his feet. Many strong knights could not keep up with his slashes with a technique mastered with an almost graceful footwork. Yet now the only work his legs could offer was to shiver.

"_That… is a commendable… stance, old man."_ It sounded human enough. Ferdomear narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on a particular clearing in the forest where two yellow eyes were bobbing up and down. So the monster was walking like a human. It was no surprise. He has assumed that much.

"Do not come any nearer. Leave us be and my wrath will not come upon you." The retired knight replied, his eyes all business.

"_Those are… strong words… old man. But strong words… has never stopped… my sword from… entering flesh. It will… not stop now."_ Ferdomear could see the figure now. An almost human silhouette moving slowly in the shadows. He could now see the sword, deadly and shining like his own. Yet it shown with a different aura, he knew. The only opposite of goodness… is evil.

"_I… tire of this… conversation, old man. It is time… to meet eternity."_

It was just too fast that he could swear he just saw the silhouette dissipate in front of his eyes, and yet it only took a quick side-step to his left and with that simple movement, Ferdomear knew that the monster also THOUGHT like a man. Upon facing his left he had to shift his stance and swing his right leg to his right side to add more leverage for his body to block an attack. A long time ago, Ferdomear used the same technique to gauge the footwork of an opponent. And that was exactly what the creature was doing. Extraordinary.

His right foot hit the ground as his sword met the monster's sword from above, stopping the attack but not without jolting his body with a powerful force that he lost his balance and almost lost hold of his sword.

"Sht!" the knight swore to himself and pivoted from his left foot in full circle in a graceful move to both catch his balance and swing his sword from behind to slash at his opponent as the monster goes through the follow-through motion of the initial attack. But

the monster has already finished with his follow-through motion and Ferdomear cursed again for underestimating his opponent's speed as his sword hit nothing but air.

The creature dashed once more to his left and Ferdomear had to pivot to chase him. That was when a plan hit the old knight. It was so simple it just might work. It was an old technique which he still taught to his young charges when faced against over-aggressive opponents. He needed to bait the monster and use the deadly Counter-attack skill for a critical hit to the head. He knew that his upper body strength still had speed or he could not have blocked the creature's unearthly initial attack. He had to give his all in one great strike. And with that resolve he dashed forward in an attempt to stab the silhouette when it stopped from its dash. The monster, unfazed, saw the attack coming as if it was in slow motion and dodged to his left. Ferdomear saw the movement and faced his body in that direction with a ¾ angle. In his brain there was the faint ray of hope that he could actually pull this off. His opponent was behaving like a rational, intelligent human being and THAT he could count on to initiate a victory. As his body adjusted with his movement, he shifted the sword in his right hand and held it back with his legs almost close together. It all looked as if the knight was about to give a powerful right-handed slash but in doing so exposed his left side completely, risking vulnerability for leverage.

The monster's yellow eyes squinted as hew saw his chance and moved in for the kill using two hands for an inward slash that would end the fight in the quickest way possible. That was when Ferdomear knew that victory was just a few seconds away. The monster had taken the bait. Few men realize that the fastest way to move away is to spread both legs apart when they were close together and that was just what Ferdomear did. In the monster's eyes, Ferdomear's image blurred to the left in a speed that may have rivaled his own. The retired knight saw the silhouette fly in front of him committed to a failed attack and Ferdomear used both hands on the sword and slashed down with all his might completing his version of a knight's Counter-Attack skill. The sword hissed through the air with blinding speed. He could not have done it any better in his prime. There was no way that Ferdomear would miss this attack and he offered a silent prayer as he waited for the impact of his weapon that would probably severe the monster's head.

"May Heaven have mercy on your soul, monst—AGchK!!" What could have been a fitting ending line for his attack was abruptly ceased when Ferdomear realized that he just couldn't breathe anymore. There was something wrong with his body but his brain could not determine what it was. It turned out that his eyes did, a few seconds later. A huge sword had penetrated his chest; the sharp end has in fact, jutted out of his backside. The battle had ended just as quickly as it begun. For a few seconds they both stood there. Hunter and prey immobilized and as if in peace, connected by a mystical steel weapon. And in the short time that Ferdomear still existed in this world, he realized that the monster had somehow "dodged" an un-evadable slash even while it was committed to a failed attack. For the first time in his life as a knight and in his teaching career, he had missed on a focused strike. And now it was also the last. The knight felt his legs grow weak one last time and fell to his knees, just as the monster retrieved the sword smoothly from his victim's body and walked away… back from where it came without so much as a look back.

For a short time, Ferdomear remained on the grassy floor looking peacefully at the starry sky. What was, a few minutes ago, an unfriendly forest, seemed to soften around him. His breath came in ragged gasps but he felt strangely serene. If death could do this, he wondered why so many did not want to die, even going as far as thinking if he should have done this a long time ago. But he knew the reason why…

"D-daddy?"

It was an angel's voice and he was already on his way. No, not yet. It wasnt heaven's angel, but his own. His daughter. Rahne.

Rahne crept to where her father lay immobile on the grassy floor. She saw his head turn to the sound of her voice. She fell in a heap beside him and father and daughter held hands for the last time.

"Rahne… is that my dearest Rahne…?"

"Daddy… oh, daddy…"

"Hush now child… be strong for me. My tender orchid. You have… always had… your mother's eyes. I see her in you. And now I know I can leave from this world because this old soldier has done… something right in his life. I only regret not seeing you grow to be a beautiful, young lady. My tender orchid… be… strong. I love you."

For her part, Rahne saw the only family she has ever known slip away into oblivion and there was not anything a young girl can do but cry. And in a night just like any other, fate has crossed into another road at the expense of tears from a tender orchid.


	2. CHAPTER 1: The Broken Threads of Fate

**CHAPTER 1: THE BROKEN THREADS OF FATE**

_**Payon Town, Payon… 7 years later**_

Payon town has not changed much throughout the years. There was still a huge variety of merchants scattered in random places in the square, selling their goods to the townsfolk who darted in and out of each stall, looking for bargains. On some rare occurrence, a few merchants from Prontera would arrive and the warriors of the town would swarm over them not unlike marketing housewives in the morning. For one knew that if it was good and it could be bought, it came from Prontera.

Master Damienus walked this place many times in his life. When he was a young acolyte, he searched the world for more undead enemies to vanquish. In a seemingly innocent cave just yonder at the Archer Village, he had his quests along with other adventurers. There were a variety of monsters he could test his skills in those caves and now he has grown strong and his skills were among the best. He may be old. No… older. But nobody doubted his skills. But this time, he was not on his way to the cave. He was to visit the house of an old friend. Well, the daughter of an old friend. He was too occupied with these thoughts that he didn't notice the approach of a graying old man.

"Master Damienus! This is a great honor! When I heard the news that you were walking our humble streets, I could hardly believe it. It has been, what, 10 years?" The old man bowed first, then extended his hand.

"Yes. A long time, Xen Luo. Sometimes, I do regret being an Elder Councilor. Makes me miss out on a lot of good times. But our Grand Councilor, Master Wepz, gave permission for me to come up here." Damienus took the hand of another old friend. And it could come as a surprise to some to know that an Elder Councilor of the Grand Church of Prontera and The Mayor of Payon Town do greet friends just like ordinary people do.

"How are the young acolytes these days, huh? If they were half as troublesome as you were when you were their age, I pity the Church." Xen chuckled, remembering when Damienus was a feisty young adventurer/acolyte and he was but a mere temple guard. Thinking of those times made both men feel ancient but both would never admit it, at least not to each other. Damienus was still an instructor in the church and also was active in the quest scene. Often called upon to vanquish demons, ghosts and the undead. And Xen would of course, even now, personally train every new batch of Temple guards.

"Well, they're all a bunch of good boys and girls. I have one chap in my personal care. He seems to be the weakest in the Church but determined to learn. There's also one young lady, very skilled, might make priestess soon but sort of a rascal. Kinda conceited, you know?" Damienus smiled, remembering his young charges.

"Reminds me a lot like somebody I know." Xen said with a mischievous look in his eyes. Then both men laughed. Xen just had to make the connection. The two old friends started walking. It was then that Xen noticed where they were heading.

"You… are not paying a visit to the Temple?"

"No." And then suddenly everything was so serious. Xen knew the story even if it had been 7 years ago. It had happened in his jurisdiction, after all. They were quiet for a few moments.

"They say it was a Wanderer," Xen spoke again, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "It had been a long time since I saw any of those. And that was only once. I didn't think that any would venture out from that cursed castle."

"How sure were they that it was a Wanderer that killed our good friend?" Damienus asked as they were approaching the outskirts of the town. The houses grew more scarce and there were just more trees. But the path they walked on was clear enough. Proof that it was trodden so many times.

"Pretty sure. Before… the killings, there were a few sightings of a figure with a long sword. Extraordinary speed and skill. A lot of the forest critters have also been seen leaving the area. Guess the presence of a demon can do that even to fellow monsters." Xen shrugged, "I have long since placed that entire section off limits to anyone and the entrance under strict guard by an entire brigade. We have also built a wall so as to prevent anyone from sneaking in."

But both men knew this was unnecessary. Who was foolish enough to try to venture out into that section of the forest when one of the vilest demons in Midgard history was standing guard over it? But even with this, they knew the answer to that question.

"Sometimes I wish that no one believed in that damned legend anymore. I would walk from house to house just to convince everybody that the story of the Legendary Weapon was just a myth. No truth to it. Many travelers have died in that section of the forest, trying to find the mystical lake. Even before the Wanderer appeared there, it was a most dangerous place full of evil and dark magic. The lake they said, holds the key to the location of the weapon. But NOBODY has seen it." Xen said in frustration.

"One claimed he did." Damienus answered blankly. Both men were quiet again for a while but Xen did not like where this was going to.

"Damienus, Ferdomear was desperate… He was our friend but back then I knew that it was madness. To avenge his wife, he wanted to claim the power of the weapon. Old as he was, he believed that with it he could hunt down the demon, Baphomet, and end the appearance of monsters in our land. An honorable pledge, yes, but one which was unfortunately unrealistic. Damienus… my old friend, you are not thinking of following his footsteps, are you? If that is so, then as Mayor of Payon Town, I firmly ask you to reconsider." There was force in these words. Xen did not want to lose another old friend. "I know that Ferdomear was a close comrade. You know him much more than I do. You have been in the great Morrocan War and have shared many adventures when you were but an acolyte and he was a swordsman. But facing a Wanderer is lunacy beyond anything. Entire parties have fallen in that place. Those with enough number could not last that long and many appear in town driven mad… and that was without encountering that accursed monster!"

"Xen Lou… relax. I am merely here to see the daughter of my dear departed friend. Would you place a restraining order on that?" Damienus replied with a stoic face. With that, Xen calmed down. But he had a bad feeling about this.

"I suppose not. Very well, give my regards to young Rahne. She looked for you at the burial. Damienus, please remember what I said. I was devastated when Ferdomear died. I do not wish to feel that way any time soon. Visit me in the Temple while you're still in town, alright?" Xen said before stopping and slowly turned back to town, not waiting for the priest to answer. Damienus also did not look back. He was deep in thought and with each step he was drawing nearer to his destination. He wondered how Rahne would look. She was probably eighteen by now, a young lady in all respects. She would probably be tending the house doing what young girls would be doing. Has anybody been trying to win her heart? Most probably. Rahne's mother, Eleina, was beautiful and many noblemen tried to woo her, but it was to a young soldier she fell in love with. Rahne would probably have the same caring attitude and sweet nature her mother had. She was such an energetic child. Selfless and cheerful. The apple of her father's eyes.

Damienus smiled, remembering both father and daughter the last time that he had been in Payon. Rahne was barely seven then. The priest was so occupied with these thoughts that he did not notice the something had been watching him, lurking in a nearby bush just waiting for him to pass. It was only when the leaves rustled that he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Who goes there???" Damienus asked, firing up his SP force. A blue aura filled his body as he called upon the MAGNIFICAT spell which increased his SP force's regeneration ability ten-fold.

"GRAaaaaaaaaaaaOOarrrggghh!!!"

A blood-curdling scream filled the air and just as suddenly, Damienus' mind shifted from thoughts of old friends and their daughters to thoughts of how a Zenorc was now a few steps away from him bearing down with full speed and teeth gnashing.

* * *

"There! I saw him!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! C'mon! It's the perfect opportunity!"

"Well, if you say so…"

The city of Prontera was its usual busy self. The Jewel of Midgard never had a day gone that merchants were not lined up in its streets and people walking to and fro. It was a virtual smorgasbord of people and those of different species. At one corner a small group of young swordsmen were looking at a stall of swords sold by an eager merchant. At one side, a few novices were picking their way through the crowd looking for their respective academies to join. And to add to Prontera's population and tourists, more than one type of monster can be seen among the crowd as the craze nowadays was to try to tame a few of Midgard's creatures instead of killing them.

Among this sea of humanity and creatures, two young ladies were running at top speed, darting through the alleyways and barely missing a knight with his pecopeco laden with weapons. One was a Mage, a student of the arcane arts while the other was an Acolyte, a disciple of the Pronteran Church and training to become a master of the Divine Magic. Both were obviously far from their classes and at the moment were on a mission that to them was of greater importance. Well, to one of them at least.

"C'mon, Lilly! It's the perfect time to test it out. You don't say no when fate knocks on your door, right?" The Acolyte asked her panting counterpart as they hid just behind a barrel filled with clothes.

"I don't like running that much, Roxy. And really, I think I should be back in Geffen. You promised me you'd warp me if I helped you sneak out of the church." Lilliana Loran or Lilly to her friends looked very doubtful as to what they were about to do. Her friend was really such a troublemaker for an acolyte. It wasn't the running part that Lilly was uncomfortable with. Its that she was in her academy regulation uniform and it was a little too… revealing for her tastes. But a mage always follows rules and one of them is that the young ladies should wear a sort of two-piece type of wear that showed everybody that she was an in-training mage and should be treated with respect. It also showed her butt too when the wind was too strong.

"Don't be such a pansy, sister. It's the perfect time to try out your new skill. Come on! And what better way to use it than to help out other people!" Her friend Mariana Roxanne scowled at her friend's indecisiveness. Both looked just beyond the corner. A fat lady was screaming her throat off to people, commanding them to buy her apples. It wasn't exactly the best sales approach but the two girls were not interested on her but mainly on a spot just to the right of her apple stall.

"Patience… wait for it. Wait for it…" Roxanne whispered and Lilly could but only shake her head and just stood ready. When Roxanne sets her mind to something, nobody can say no. The two watched for a few seconds at the apple stall. At first nothing happened. Then the area around the stall seemed to waiver as if it was water and something had just faintly crossed over the surface. A blink later, everything was fine again. Then after a few more seconds, one of the apples started twitching as if it had a life of its own. Both girls watched as the old lady did not seem to notice anything, it didn't help that she was looking in the other direction too.

"C'mon… what are you waiting for…" Roxanne said in frustration as she clenched her fists and got ready to run. The twitching apple was rolling down now until it reached the bottom part of the heap of apples. Then, just as suddenly, it started floating in mid-air, moving slowly away from the stall.

"NOW!" Roxanne shouted and both girls ran towards the direction of the stall. Lilly ran ahead trying to keep in focus as she remembered the lines that would trigger her newest spell. Intense yellow light was suddenly around Lilly's petite frame and it gathered in intensity until it was burning in a spiral around her. Yellow turned bright red and the area around Lilly seemed to be affected with her magic.

"_Rings of crimson from the air of V'lainya, mold itself and wash upon those that creep in shadow and illusion… give me…. **SIGHT**!"_ And as the young mage completed the spell phrase, the burning ring flowed out in a circular ten-meter radius, pulling a handful from her SP force and causing quite a spectacular display to those who saw. The ring of concentrated energy ruptured the flow of the air and scratched through the energy flow of any skill in the area that dwelt on stealth and illusion. True enough, on the spot where there appeared only empty space, there now stood a scrappy-looking young man in a dirty shirt with an apple in his hand and a very surprised look in his face.

"You! Stop! Stop, THIEF!" Roxanne shouted in anger and she increased her pace, leaving Lilly puffing after, trying to regain her energy spent from the Spell while running to catch up. The young burglar they were after stood still for a moment looking confused and then after realizing he had been caught and his **HIDE** skill was now useless, threw the apple at the two running magic-users and ran like hell.

* * *

The zenorc moved in with murder in it's eyes but Damienus merely stood his ground and brought out his bible. The age-old cleric was not to be intimidated by a brainless brute. The monster swung it's right arm straight at the priest's neck but Damienus merely waived his hand and the zenorc's attack slammed into a white residual barrier. The zenorc had a surprised look in its eyes as it stumbled back, clutching its hurt arm. This time, it was Damienus who approached the stunned monster. Grass and debris were swept aside as a holy boundary surrounded the priest's steps. The monster could not understand what was happening, could not even comprehend that such a skill called **KYRIE ELEISON **can block any attack from his claws. Sentient as it was, hunger and murder are the only things that were on its mind.

The zenorc coiled back not noticing that surrounding its body was a circular aura of divine energy. Damienus closed his eyes and the bible floated in front of him. And even as the monster ran towards him, the first words of the spell called **HOLY LIGHT **can be heard floating in the Payon Breeze...

* * *

"Waaaa! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" The thief yelled and darted through an alleyway missing the exasperated look on Roseanne's face as she swatted the apple aside.

"You coward! Come back here, you!" the feisty acolyte placed both hands together in front of her chest in a sort of gesture used only in prayer and a sliver of white magical energy encircled her feet. Her running speed increased three-fold with the use of her AGI UP Skill and soon she was gaining on the thief who was jumping over carts and stalls in an attempt to throw off his pursuers. Roxanne may be running fast but she didn't have a spell that made her as agile as the thief who zoomed in between carts and slid beneath pecopeco legs. No, she had to run around the obstacles and that gave the thief more time to escape. He looks behind him and sees the acolyte stalled by a passing cart. He breathes easily and slows down into a jog.

"Heh, Im such a lucky thief. They'll never—WHOOMF!!" His body bounced off something so hard he felt like he just hit a wall. Which was virtually what it was anyway. Except that it was not made of stone. The thief lay flat on his back shaking his head and looked up to see a wall of flames furiously blocking his path. He just realized that his shirt was singed and his face was a tad red. It took all his strength to move into a sitting position just as the flames moved aside like a curtain and Lilly walks through, dispersing the **FIRE WALL **easily with a swipe of her hand as if it was nothing but air.

"I didn't know Cramps left the culverts at this time of the year." The mage smirked just as Roxy screeched to a halt a few feet away, her face red and looking like she was about ready to explode with anger. And just as suddenly, Shinbo, "the lucky thief", knew that his short-lived Pronteran escapade was over. Oh well. At least he would have free food in jail.

* * *

It was truly odd to see a Zenorc in payon town. Their natural habitats were near the orc dungeon or the provincial fields of Geffen. It was really peculiar. But strange as it was, it is no joyous occasion and one which he will surely not allow any further. His spell is almost done. Closing his bible dramatically as he looked the monster straight in the eye, Damienus's Holy Light spell was about to rip through the zenorc's soul when suddenly a spear went through the surprised monster's chest. The zenorc gave one final gurgle as he looked at the equally surprised priest in front of him before flopping down, its green blood staining the payon soil.

Damienus was still pretty much shocked by it all but in truth, the strangeness of the zenorc's death would seem much milder compared to knowing who the killer was…

"Uncle Damienus?" a girl's voice. What?

The priest shook his head and looked up to see a young girl in a not-so-typical girl's dress. The skirt and the blouse were pretty much normal, but the sheathed sword and warrior's gloves were not. The rainbow and different-colored blood stains on the skirt gave away the true nature of the wearer if not the sword and warrior accessories. This was a swordmaiden standing if front of him. Her long black hair was tied in two pigtails from the back much like a little girl does. And her eyes were the greenest ones he saw, which in fact, he has seen before. He could see but he could never believe who just killed the zenorc with a single decisive blow.

"R-Rahne?? Rahne? Is that you, my girl? I-I don't believe it. This is certainly a surprise!" Damienus said, still shaken as the young girl ran and hugged the priest so tight that he almost lost his balance.

"Young lady, do my eyes deceive me? Is this a swordswoman's clothes and weapons? When did all this happen?" Damienus asked as he gently pushed her away to have another good look at the little girl he used to sit on his knee and was the happy cowgirl of countless piggyback rides. The young girl giggled, stood back, and rubbed her face and the old priest saw her rub a tear or two subtly enough. He pretended not to notice and folded his hands on his chest. It wasn't the best of moves. He smudged all the new stains on his robe.

"Oh no, Uncle, I stained your coat!" Rahne said, embarrassed. She took off a small towel from her belt pouch and proceeded to wipe the stains off the priest's robe. Damienus waved it off politely.

"Nah, im ok, young lady. You'd better use that on yourself, though. You look like you've just slain a zenorc!" Damienus winked and both laughed nervously at the little joke. Rahne excused herself hurriedly, but politely, running to her shack to wash up. Damienus smiled as he looked after her. He took one last look at the fallen monster before walking after her and tried to place the smiling young girl's face he used to know looking from a knight's helm and riding a pecopeco into battle.

He didn't have much luck.

* * *

_**Prontera Castle, Prontera...**_

Zynogard.

That was his name. It was the same name he heard his adopted father and mother tell him when he learned how to walk.

Zynogard.

It was the same name he screamed to the street bullies who harassed him while he was walking home and said his name was "skinny". It was the same name he kept telling them as he victoriously walked away after beating them all to a pulp.

Zynogard.

It was the name called out to him when he passed the swordsman test with flying colors, graduating at the top of his class. A year later, it was the same name called out as he began his first mission, now officially a knight who has again graduated with straight A's and hefty recommendations.

And now here he was, looking at himself in the mirror, blowing back his short brown locks and seeing his strong, stern features look back at him seriously as if daring him for a fight with himself. He sighs and walks out of the bathroom to his room, sits on the bed and puts on his boots. After making sure they're fastened tight, he walks to a far corner, where his armor is situated. It was quite heavy but his strong body handled it with ease and so did his trusty pecopeco who was waiting for him down at the cavalry's stables. He puts them on and walks over to a huge cabinet. In it were some of his greatest possessions. His Cranial Shield leaned against the left wall of the cabinet, shimmering as the light hit the splendid crystalline surface which was refined seven times by the king's armorers. But his pride and joy was his Triple Bloody Pike. His constant companion in all his battles. It was given to him by a king. King Tristam the 1st. Also refined ten times by a blacksmith, it had thrice the spirit of the Hydra monster embedded in it (thus making it "Triple Bloody"), making it one of the deadliest weapons known to man. It was leaning opposite the shield, looking as harmless as a child's pogo stick.

He took both, each in one arm and walked slowly back to the mirror. He wasn't a boy anymore, nor was he a swordsman. And no, he wasn't just any knight either. He had a different identity now but one that he also liked and knew that he deserved. He looked down at his pike and sees the name written in bold letters.

Dragonz'

Zynogard was no more. Barely a week ago, by royal decree, Captain Zynogard has been appointed head of the Pronteran army of knights. Now he can only be called by his monicker. One he earned after slaying the beast he now shared a name with. Today, and for the rest of his military life he is now known as General Dragonz' of the Pronteran Royal Army. But his happiness was overshadowed by a great loss. His great king and mentor, Tristam the 1st died of mysterious circumstances a few days after giving him the title of general. He would have gladly traded his position to bring his old king back. This was his dream he was living. But no matter what name he is known for, Dragonz knows that he would not be anything if not for that old man. But life isn't always fair. And if the death was the trade-off that fate wanted for him, then so be it. His king had taught him well.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He walked towards it and opened it grimly to see another knight standing in front of him.

"Kram-Z reporting for duty, General Dragonz'!" the knight said with a huge smile. Dragonz' rolled his eyes and turned his back on the knight, walking back to the mirror to adjust his armor. They suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Zip it, Kram, you know I'm still not used to this General stuff. Everyone's treating me all high and mighty. I don't need any of that from you guys." Dragonz' scolded his old friend who chuckled as he walked in and closed the door.

"Hey c'mon man, you're living everyone's dream. It's what you always wanted. GENERAL Dragonz'… wow, its got a nice ring to it, too." Kram replied amusingly, watching his friend fidget uncomfortably. Kram was third overall in the Swordsman and Knight courses where Dragonz' was top of the class. Just a few inches taller than his childhood friend Dragonz', Kram was an imposing sight. With his bony cheeks, playful brown eyes, and darkened skin that looked like he came from some far-off eastern country, he has scared many an invader away with just an intimidating look. But off the battlefield, Kram was usually the joker to the gang and the brunt of his jokes was usually Dragonz', who took it all in good nature.

"It's time, you know." Kram said, and the flicker in his eyes told Dragonz' that Kram too wasn't very comfortable about what was to happen. Immediately after Tristam the 1st died, the second in line to the throne, the late king's eldest son, Tristam the 2nd , 17 year-old prince, was crowned the new leader of the kingdom of Prontera. Dragonz' had no problem with the young prince leading Prontera as he had shown to be of docile nature and a huge admirer of his late father's work. No, what was getting Dragonz', and Kram for that matter, was that they were going to walk up that familiar red carpet up to the throne and it wouldn't be the old king's kind face that they would see to welcome them.

The two knights left the room and both walked in military step towards the throne room. Before they got there, they were joined by another knight who was known by the name of Minos. The three knights merely nodded to each other and walked on without a word. If Dragonz' was the 1st overall in the swordsmand and knight courses, and Kram was 3rd, Minos was the second overall, losing to Dragonz' by a very small margin some observers would say. Some said that Minos missed the "General" position by a hair's breath. Dragonz' wouldn't mind Minos being General just as Minos didn't mind Dragonz' as General. Both were the best of friends and trusted each other with their respective lives. Minos's lithe, athletic frame generally complemented Dragonz' buff physique and Kram's height. Among the three, Minos was also the tactician and was usually quiet, competent and loyal. The short black hair, stern, strong facial features and cold, stoic stare gave him a subtle intimidating appeal that enticed people to obey and shut up. Upon Dragonz's request, Minos was his new XO and Minos wouldn't want it any other way. Together, Dragonz', Minos, and Kram were the most feared knights in Prontera. And now they were under the command of the youngest king in history.

* * *

King Tristam the 2nd , or "Prince Tam" as he was fondly called, for all his youth and apparent inexperience, looked as regal and noble as any king that sat on the throne. Just under 5'7" feet tall, he had rosy cheeks and dirty blonde hair that fell on locks to cover his brown eyes. He was athletic and was given only the best teachers on his daily classes. But his eyes now were swollen and there was no laughter or energy left in his stare. Rumors say that he has not stopped weeping for his father until now and only chose this time to make a public appearance. And it was a very important appearance indeed. For this was the time that the soldiers would pledge allegiance to him and give him sole military command.

The three finest knights of Prontera walked up to the throne and bent down to a knee. King Tam looked on all three and rose.

"My teachers, you all know why we are here at this moment." Tam said, his voice cracking a little but tried to be strong to show the army that he was going to be a strong leader in his own right. All three nodded and the young King bid them to rise.

"Then let us not waste any time. Although I do not wish to be in command of the kingdom at so early a time and undeniably so because of the… circumstances of my abrupt ascension, I would like to get this over with and start with the real work. I think my father would have done the same. Honor me as you honored him. And with this trust, my rule will be based upon."

There was a very inspiring strength in the words the new king had just uttered and at this moment, General Dragonz' just made up his mind that with nobility and class like what Tam had shown, it was just the right time that he was given command of Prontera. When he swore his allegiance to the young king, to himself, he swore that this king would never end up with the fate of his late father. Not on Dragonz's watch.

* * *

Approximately a hundred meters from the castle where King Tam had just received the allegiance of the Pronteran Army, a man who had made his own allegiance only to the gods of the almighty zenny stumbled on the road that led from Prontera and into the wilderness. He had just earned 2 million zennies and only by giving some information away. The information was false, of course, but by the time his "client" would find out about it, he would be long gone from Prontera.

He smiled as he half ran in the open road, whistling a song he just made up which glorified himself and his trickery. But his whistling came to an abrupt stop as he suddenly found his path blocked by a hooded figure in a long cloak.

"I pity people who do not value their lives, don't you?" The voice under the hood was unmistakably female and at the moment very, very pissed. The man recognized quickly that it was his "client". He felt the bag of zennies jingling close to waist. No, he was not about to lose such a large amount to this wench. He met her in the markets of Prontera as he overheard her asking around for a certain man. It was an easy fib to tell and he would have gotten away with it too. Upon sending the woman to Morroc, he would've made sure that he was long gone when she found out it was all a lie. Apparently, things didn't turn out quite as planned. He took a step back and tried to snake his way out of the predicament.

"Whu are ye still doin' 'ere, m'lady? I tol' ye all I knew. D' man yer lookin' for is in Morroc stayin' in with the dyemaker just west of d' pyramids. I swear on me Aunt Petunia's alcohol-soaked arse." He put up one of his hands for effect but he couldn't stop from sweating especially after the woman started to walk slowly towards him.

"I have friends in morroc. The man wasnt there. You played me for a fool. The last whoever did that wound up dead..." The lady took a step forward.

"And do you know who was the last one who played me for a fool?" The hood came off. The man could only gulp and shook his head.

"It was you."

There was no scream. Only the slicing sounds of a katar. And the "angel-beast" has claimed another victim in the name of her long search. A search which will soon come to end.

* * *

**Author's Howls:**

Well, there's both the Prologue and Chapter 1. I'm hoping I can get a few reviews before I post the continuation. I hope I've at least caught a few eyes or so. Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. CHAPTER 2: Lament of Innocence

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS:**

Wow! My first review! Just the kind of thing that gets creative juices flowing! Well, second chapter is in and you'll get a glimpse of the Blacksmith that was on the summary. Speaking of characters, I hope you dont get confused about the sudden boom. In time, the main characters will streamline into just the real main characters so you don't get confused. But to help you guys out, I'm going to put in a mini-guide of characters that have been introduced in the past chapters as well as the current one. Some characters will be intently omitted in the guide to give respect to the flow of the story but once they've been introduced they will appear on the guide for the next chapter. These character guides will also contain basically some short words of what happened to them in the past chapters or at least a short description of them. Hope you keep those reviews coming in!

**_DRAMATIS PERSONAE:_**

**(Since Chapter 1)**

**Main Chars:**

_Damienus_ - Master Priest and High Counciler of the Pronteran Church High Council. The only living Grand Master who has perfected the Magnus Exorcisimus spell.

_Rahne_ - Softspoken but aspiring swordsmaiden whose father was allegedly killed by a Wanderer. (See Prologue)

_Roxanne/Roseanne_ - Feisty, conceited but fiercely loyal, this lady acolyte always seems to be getting in trouble.

_Lilly Loran_ - Demure, Intelligent and strong, Lilly is one of the brightest students in Geffen's Academy of the arcane arts. She is also Roxanne's bestfriend.

_Canaan_ - A lonely and pitiful figure. This blacksmith lives by his lonesome in the woods of Geffen. (Introduced in this chapter!)

**Supporting Cast:**

_Grand Councilor Wepz_: The youngest priest in history to recieve the title of Grand Councilor, which means the leader of the Pronteran Church (Introduced in this chapter!)

_Dragonz_ - Supreme General of the Pronteran Knight Academy

_Minos_ - Dragonz's XO

_Kram-Z_ - Another high-ranking knight in the Pronteran Academy and a friend of Minos and Dragonz

_Shinbo_ - The self-proclaimed "Lucky thief" captured by Lilly and Roxy while he was stealing an apple

_Staple Wire_ - A thief with a unique tool of weapons (Introduced in this chapter!)

_Kiko_ - A Thief with quick hands and a short temper. He is the leader of a trio of poor bandits. (Introduced in this chapter!)

_G-sas_ - A swordsman in Kiko's party (Introduced in this chapter!)

_Iya_ - A gentle acolyte forced to steal with Kiko and G-sas because of poverty (Introduced in this chapter!)

**Other characters:**

_Sister Matilda_: One of the helpers in the Pronteran Church and appears to be a love interest of Damienus (Introduced in the chapter!)

_Governor Xen-Lou_ - Governor of Payon City and close friend of Damienus

_Ferdomear_ - Retired colonel of the Pronteran Army and an instructor from the Pronteran Knight Academy. Ferdomear lost his life protecting his daughter, Rahne, during the events that happened during the Prologue.

_Prince Tam_ - Young King of Prontera forced to sit on the throne when his father, King Tristam the 1st, died.

**CHAPTER 2: Lament of Innocence**

**_The Land of Geffen_**

The forests of Geffen were always extraordinarily peaceful at night. But tonight it was even more so… as if nature chose this night to reward those who wished for a good night's rest under her caring watch. The stars seemed glued, plastered to a clear, dark sky accentuated by momentary comets, magically streaking from the heavens, their paths glimmered and faded as if the stars themselves caught their light and kept it selfishly like a jealous lover. It was the kind of night when mothers taught their children of how wonderful life was. It was the kind of night when young men knelt to one knee to their ladies and proposed their unending love. It was the kind of night when young warriors looked out from castle walls to dream of adventure and of fair maidens to save. It was the kind of night when you languorously wonder what fate awaits you in the future.

But it wasn't always a splendid night for everybody. And if there were those who wonder about their future, there will be some who have lost even the heart to care. Deep in the forest, a lone figure stumbled clumsily around a small clearing. His steps were erratic as if he was sleepwalking or drunk or maybe both. Every now and then he would glance at the sky as if asking a long-awaited question and then his head would drop and his gaze would be at his feet as if the answer would shame him to eternity. None bore witness to his sorry state. Save for a few figures that stood motionless around him. If they could move, they would probably find themselves avoiding the pitiful figure, but since they were made from wood and just strung together to form human shapes, they just stood and eyed him endlessly as he shuffled around his clearing. He eyed them back and mumbled something incoherent. Slowly, the figure's eyes turned towards the small make-shift shelter he had made for rest. It was small and crude but could actually be called a house. A rounded building, made from cement, wood and steel, it was cozy and comfortable enough to live in. The dwelling seemed to call out to the figure, pleading him to rest a while. But he shook his head and went on his endless stumbling around the clearing.

He had an audience now. Two Cocos were cuddling at a high branch eyeing the figure curiously as he stumbled around. Their eyes reflected the small light from a fire that was burning near the house. A small pan of what appeared to be a simple stew was bubbling over it. Cocos were inquisitive creatures by nature and the sight, and most importantly, the smell, of the stew were too much for them to pass by. When the figure was looking at the other direction, they scurried quietly to take a closer look.

That would be the last conscious moment of their lives as two knives flew from the bush impaling them both without even much of a squeak. The stumbling figure didn't even notice the death of the Cocos and didn't turn when 3 figures entered the clearing noisily.

"Wow… so this is where he lives after all… I've been wondering where the low-life parks his behind. Cheery place." One of the intruders looked around the clearing, twirling his knife. He was dressed in a smallish yellow jacket, dirty slacks and had an Orc helm for his choice of headgear. He had a round face and medium-length hair. Unkept but flowing. His skin was slightly dark but his eyes were all aglow from a hidden fire. An eagerness for action and adventure. His clothes told all who saw that he was a thief by job and a thief by nature.

"I really don't like this… You told me we would just sneak in and get weapons to sell and sneak out. There doesn't seem to be any semblance of sneakery in what we're doing." A female voice called out and a girl stepped from the bushes. The figure who owned the clearing turned and eyed the intruders to his haven of peace. He recognized an acolyte's clothing immediately and there seemed to be some glimmer of anger. But that disappeared very quickly and reverted back to a dull and sleepy gaze. The lady acolyte had a warm face, smooth skin and long, blonde hair. Her blue eyes regarded him with fear mixed with something he could only think as pity. Her tattered clothing told him she was probably as poor as he was.

But there was no time to think of anything else. A sharp pain hit him from behind suddenly and he fell to his knees. Behind him stood a swordsman with sword unsheathed and with the handle of the blade splashed with a few specks of blood that could have come from when he hit the lone figure behind the head with it. Also with tattered clothing and rusty armor, he was of medium built, stocky and with strong features. His black locks partly covered his brown eyes.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Kiko. He probably makes his weapons at night to sell in the morning. Judging from the empty anvil by the side of his house, he hasn't gone by to making them just yet. We would have to wait till morning to steal them like we usually do." The swordsman called G-sas said with a deep voice. He held the poor figure by the collar and pushed him roughly near the fire. "Let's have a closer look at you, buddy. You look a lot more pitiful than usual."

The acolyte, the thief, and the swordsman all walked slowly to where the poor figure was trying to get up. They noted first that his jeans were also tattered and worn out in some areas. He had on his white polo, unbuttoned and untucked. If not for the rough state he was in, his get-up wasn't pretty uncommon for a Blacksmith, which was what the figure was. He had long silver hair which was usually in a long ponytail but tonight it drooped all over his face covering his eyes which looked like he hadn't had sleep for 2 years. He had stubble on his chin and had dust on his face but the Blacksmith would look more than moderately handsome if he would have cleaned up. Like Iya, the blonde-haired acolyte, he also had striking blue eyes but unlike hers, his looked directly ahead in a stuporous gaze making him seem dull and void of any conscious thought. Despite his appearance, the figure looked athletic and had a well-built body. Slim but with defined musculature, he didn't look like the average Blacksmith whose bulging muscles rippled when they held the hammers that tempered the weapons they made.

Kiko, the thief, snorted in disgust and held the Blacksmith roughly by his front collar, pulling him forcefully forward.

"Hmph, all this work for nothing… Hey you… don't you have any weapons lying around? We're kinda low on cash and we can't wait till morning to steal them…"

In reality, Kiko was also more than slightly curious. Ever since they saw this Blacksmith sleeping by a small path that was the road from Geffen to Payon, they found that he seemed genuinely ignorant of the wares he was selling. They weren't anything of large value, just simple swords, knives, maces… but they were worth a few zennies at least. Every morning they would spot the Blacksmith and one day, in a fit of desperation, stole all his weapons while he slept under the shade of a huge tree. He also observed that the Blacksmith had an empty can by his weapons. It was the most tremendously stupid idea as far as Kiko was concerned. The Blacksmith actually thought that people would just drop their payment, pick up a weapon and walk away as he slept. Stupid. Every morning the three of them would steal the weapons while he slept, yet, the next morning the Blacksmith would still be back under his tree, his Sakkat pulled low over his eyes, resting lazily and his wares just there for the taking.

Iya, the acolyte had been their voice of reason at times but even she gave in as they would have nothing to eat if they didn't steal the weapons. Right now, prices were going high and food was scarce. They needed all the money they could get in order to just live to the next day.

"Hey guys look at this… pretty interesting…" G-sas called out. Iya and Kiko both walked to where the swordsman was standing, observing one of the wooden dummies scattered around the clearing.

"Look at the impressions on the bark of these wooden dummies. They looked like they were punched." G-sas observed. Instantly, Iya turned to look at the Blacksmith's bare fists. At once she saw that he didn't wear any gloves at least tonight. His fists had blood and fresh wounds on them. His knuckles looked worn and had calluses. It surprised Iya that she hadn't noticed this before. Slowly but without fear, Iya walked to him and took his hands. She produced a few clean strips of cloth and proceeded to cover the wounds on his knuckles.

"Don't worry now, I wont hurt you." She said as she wrapped the strips around the Blacksmith's fists. The Blacksmith just stood silently, swaying as if he was about to just fall down any moment, his eyes focused beyond Iya like he was in some sort of trance.

"And what the hell are you doing, Iya??" Kiko stammered when he what she was doing, pulling the acolyte away.

"Let go, Kiko!" Iya turned and snapped back. "The least I could do is to tend his wounds! I mean, every morning we steal his wares, I can't even think of where he gets the money to eat, let alone make more weapons for us to steal." Iya pulled her hand angrily away and resumed tending to the Blacksmith's wounds.

_An Acolyte… taking care of me… an aco… lyte…_

The Blacksmith's eyes looked to Iya as she busily wrapped bandages around his hand.

_An Acolyte… a… priestess…_

At that moment, a surge of memories tore through the Blacksmith's mind. Memories of another acolyte, another priestess and another set of caring eyes.

"NO!" The Blacksmith shouted and stumbled back. His head was being rocked with pain due to the flow of memories rushing back. It took all his strength to stay standing. "Please… just take whatever you need and go…"

His voice was gruff and almost hoarse, filled with sorrow. Iya was startled by the outburst and decided to leave him alone even though her acolyte training was screaming for her to take care of this man. Her blue eyes gazed curiously at the enigma in front of her. It seemed he was more afraid of her than the other way around.

"Ungrateful bum... Well, You heard him. Anyway, G-sas saw some pieces of steel lying around. Its worth something at least. We better go, Iya." Kiko said and, this time a lot more gently, tried to pull her away. Iya hesitated at first but finally decided to obey. G-sas had already disappeared in the forest.

"Good luck, stranger… I hope one day I can repay your kindness…" She whispered before following Kiko and G-sas into the forest.

* * *

Canaan stood with legs trembling where Iya had left him. He scared her a bit he knew, but he couldn't help it. It has been a while since he last saw an acolyte and the simple sight did well to bring forth figments of the past. Most of which, he was trying to forget.

He glanced around and saw at once that the swordsman and the thief left his little clearing in ruins. There were broken pieces of pots and glass everywhere but at least nothing was probably taken inside the house. They wouldnt know about his secret compartment. He stumbled about and started to clean the debris. His thoughts were far from what happened this night. In fact losing his wares everyday to thieves did not concern him at all as well. He created those weapons only to keep him busy and prevent his mind from wandering. Wandering back to the past. Back to his sins. Back to the dead.

He sighed and decided to rest a bit. In a few hours, he would begin to make a few more weapons to sell for the next morning. He laid down and stared long and hard at the stars.

"When will this end?" He asked loudly.

As with every night, the stars had no answer.

* * *

_She's looks a little weird. And definitely the shy type_. Roxy thought as she stared at the girl in front of her.

She, Lilly, and another girl were waiting in front of the Prontera church. It was the other girl that had captivated her ever since Damienus, her teacher, appeared from a warp out of nowhere and caught her sneaking back to class with Lilly. This girl came out of the warp with him and seemed to be close to him in some way. Suddenly, a thought came naughtily in her head…

"Yuck, he's old enough to be my grandpa!" Roxy said out loud as she thought of old Damienus wooing young ladies but covered her mouth immediately when she realized that the stranger and Lilly had heard her. Lilly's responsive stare in fact, was colder than a Frost Drive attack.

"Uhm… I mean… yeah, that merchant suitor of mine was so old, he could be my grandpa… yeah that's what I meant" Roxy smiled sheepishly, her face all red with embarassment. _It was a nice recovery too_, her eyes told Lilly, but the mage's eyes weren't as forgiving.

The girl in front of them seemed to understand. "Oh no no… Uncle Damienus is a close friend of my family. He's like a second father to me." Rahne said quickly and laughed, easing the tension. Lilly and Roxy laughed with her.

"Don't mind this nosy girl, Rahne." Lilly said, still giggling, "She's just dreaming of her fantasy boyfriend too much that her mind's all clogged up."

"Hey, he's no fantasy! I already told you about him. He's also a swordsman and he's constantly traveling, not like us, all cooped up in here." Roxy huffed, stomping her foot and blowing upwards to remove a few bangs of her hair that fell in front of her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Well why haven't I seen him?" Lilly retorted, realizing that Rahne was looking more comfortable while they were talking. Rahne, the swordsmaiden seemed friendly but had a rough aura around her. _Like she'd been through something bad_, Lilly thought. She'd seen that look before, from veteran adventurers who had just lost friends in battle.

"If you didn't have your nose too deep in your books, you could have seen him when he came visiting me!" Roxy snapped back then closed her eyes and started to dance as she continued. "His dad seems to be some prominent man, head of something from somewhere and his family's been in the nobility for centuries! You should have been there when we ran through the Poring fields hand in hand…" Roxy thought, reliving the memory and she danced in circles, twirling her acolyte skirt and giggling. "It was so romantic, we…"

**WHAM!**

In her musings, she had unwittingly danced romantically in front of a tree and her face came in full contact with a low branch, knocking her back and she landed not very romantically on her behind. Lilly could not control her laughter and she fell off her bench in a manner not exactly befitting of a young lady. This caused a few bystanders to stop and see a very flustered lady acolyte with pieces of bark on her face and a young mage with her legs in the air, arms on her stomach, and trying her best to stop giggling.

Rahne for her part looked at them curiously and envied them secretly. Roxy was a rare beauty with brown hair tied up in a single ponytail. She had the cutest smile and a fair complexion even though her face was usually contorted in the funniest manners. But she had hazel green eyes that seemed to look into your soul. If she would be serious for a minute she would be really pretty, Rahne thought. Lilly on the other hand exuded grace and a calm demeanor. She seemed always ready to smile but was usually quiet. Rahne watched as Lilly tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears. Near perfect black hair that ran down to her shoulders. Her brown eyes were always in a state of peace but ever attentive. Both must have tons of suitors.

Rahne had never even thought about the idea of boys in her life. Training and taking after her father occupied most of her time that she had not even thought of taking the time to look ladylike or to entertain suitors. Part of her wanted to experience being able to dance aimlessly around due to some romantic memory or even to slam into a tree carelessly due to it… but a bigger part of her was still on that grassy clearing hugging and crying over her father's lifeless body.

Still, the young girl inside her won over for now and so she laughed with Lilly and helped Roxy get up and brush the dust from her skirt. She felt a certain warmness being with the two girls. She knew that she had found some good friends in them. And she was sure they had found one in her as well.

* * *

"Girls will be girls…" Damienus chuckled as he peeked from the second floor window of the Prontera church, seeing the entire scene. It took a while to convince Rahne to come with him to Prontera but she soon obliged, thankfully. Bumping into the ever-so-troublesome Roxy sneaking her way back to class looked to be a pleasant surprise so that Rahne would have someone her age to talk to. He was more relieved when he saw that her young friend, the mage Lilly, was with her though. Lilly was the calming voice and the fitting companion to Roxy. He should remember to write a note to Geffen to allow Lilly to stay in Prontera for a while to keep the young acolyte company.

"And what was that supposed to mean? I believe that phrase only applied to boys." A female voice said calmly from behind him.

The old priest turned and found himself in front of Sister Matilda, one of the many helpers in the Prontera Church. She was around ten years younger than him and although was well past the age that his young charges were in, she had never ceased to light up the room when she came in. She had flawless skin and brown eyes that played with the light just as her brown hair played with the wind, swirling as if it had a life of its own. Her figure obviously lost nothing to the svelte, body-hugging dress that the helpers of the church wore; complete with a short, above-the-knee length skirt that was a cruel and unrelenting distraction to young acolyte boys.

The Pronteran Church abolished the rule of Celibacy long before Damienus became an acolyte but he had chosen not to chase around girls since adventure was always his first love, although he had loved a girl once too. Seeing Matilda in front of him divinely beautiful made him want to thank whoever it was that abolished the Celibacy rule. One of these days he's gonna ask her out. Soon.

But for now, like all boys aged nine to ninety, he hid his feelings in the form of little jokes and flattery.

"Sister Matilda… as always, the most fleeting vision of you, commands attention." He said and did a half bow. Matilda's eyes were sparkling yet she remained cool.

"Why, Master Damienus, does this appear to be an attempt at flirting?" She said and cocked her head to one side with one of her eyebrows raised playfully.

"I would never know. I had never done it before." Damienus lied with a grin. Both stood in silence for a while, contemplating what just transpired. But Matilda, always the polite, dignified lady nodded and bid him to walk with her, breaking what was about to become an uncomfortable silence. Damienus obliged, fighting to keep his own cool. He decided to shift his thoughts to the important matter that had him come to the church.

"Is he ready to see me?" Damienus asked.

"Yes, he's so busy yet so young. He might get old quickly." Matilda replied, showing concern for their young Grand Councilor.

"Relax. The minute he starts growing old will be the minute he stops ogling the young lady acolytes." Damienus chuckled, knowing he had seen the Grand Councilor more than a few times glance every now and then at a passing pretty lady, acolyte or not. "Which means it won't happen for quite some time." He added.

Matilda looked at him mischievously. "I wonder if this is a norm to all acolyte boys…"

"I wouldn't know." Damienus smiled, lying yet again.

They were walking along a richly-lit hallway complete with red curtains for the windows carrying crosses and other symbols of divination. They strode on in silence until they were in front of a huge double-door.

"I know my way around, M'lady. I have troubled you enough." Damienus smiled and started to open the door.

"It's my duty to help out. See you later." She smiled, turned and started to walk back. But before a doorway she stopped and looked back.

"Oh, and Damienus… about the flirting?" She said.

Damienus tensed and looked back. "Yes?"

"It's about time." She finished with a wink before disappearing around the corner.

Damienus was silent at first and smiled to himself. Definitely I'll ask her a lot sooner, he thought and proceeded through the doors.

He found himself walking through a spacious room with pillars on each side. A huge statue of a priest and a priestess holding hands was on his right and scribes reading scrolls to his left. Subtle organ music can be heard drifting through the air drowning the quiet thumping of his shoes on the red carpet which led to a huge circular table that was used for meetings of the Council of the Pronteran Church. He remembered the chair meant just for him, sat silently and waited.

Though all the chairs were pretty much made of the same material, one chair could clearly be seen to be larger and much more defined than the others. In this place the Grand Councilor sat and led the meetings and made decisions for the Church. There was a figure sitting there now, a man very much younger than Damienus with short brown hair that looks like they have swayed playfully to each side and stuck there. The handsome young man stared back at Damienus with lucid, hazel eyes. His features were well-defined, yet laid-back, depicting a cool and sly attitude that went well with the grin on his face. On the table before him was a huge pile of paper.

"You should be in this chair and I should be outside these walls, exorcising demons in your stead. But… I'm here right now forced to sign these endless documents and memos." The man said.

"Grand Councilor Wepqwerty, how have you been?" Damienus smiled warmly in reply.

"Zip it, Master Damienus. You know how I'm called. You were my instructor for 15 ears for heaven's sake. I'm now a Grand Councilor and everything suddenly becomes so formal and boring." The young man said and stood up abruptly, leaving a swirl of papers in his wake and appearing very unhappy all of a sudden. "I shouldn't have agreed to this." He started walking slowly to look outside a nearby window.

"But you did, Wepz. All the councilors did too. It was a unanimous vote. You're an outstanding priest, arguably the best of this generation. You have the right instincts and you have led the church with dignity and honor so far. You're making me proud here." Damienus said, sounding so much like a father. He hated doing that, it made him feel old.

"Running the church is easy. It's the sitting around and not doing anything that gets me." Wepz answered, walking slowly back to his seat and looked Damienus in the eye. "I haven't seen you in a while, I've noticed that you've been absent in more than a few meetings. I know you're out there in the world, busting demons and ghosts and having all sorts of adventures. What I'd give to do that like when I was an acolyte."

"I'm a tired old man reliving his old glory days, Wepz."

"Yeah and I'm a tired young man forced to sit out his own!" Wepz said sharply but sat back down with a sigh to sign a few documents in front of him. "Ok… enough of this. I don't suppose you came here to relieve me of my duties as Grand Councilor?"

"Regrettably, no."

"Then shoot. I have a pressing engagement after this."

Damienus nodded and decided to go straight to the point.

"The Wanderer killings."

Wepz made a low grumble and continued signing documents, remembering what he knew about the incident.

"7 years ago, there were reported sightings of a Wanderer in the outskirts of Payon town. Soon after came gruesome killings. I understand that one of the victims was Lord Ferdomear, a close friend of yours and a former Head Instructor of the Pronteran Royal Knighthood. Apparently, his wife was killed by a monster attack and he was searching for a clue to the whereabouts of the Legendary Ultimate Weapon that, based upon popular lore, was the last known weapon used by the gods to slay the titans. This clue was supposed to be found near a mystical lake well within the forest. Lord Ferdomear claimed to have seen this lake and in a brave but foolish attempt to recover the weapon and slay the monster, Baphomet, he lost his life. Shortly after, the mayor of Payon, which was coincidentally also a friend of yours, closed the section down and denied access to everyone. Still, a few parties of adventurers sneaked inside in an attempt to kill the elusive Wanderer once and for all if not to find the clue. None of them were successful. Most died and those that came back seemed to have been driven insane from the experience. The killings slowly ceased through the years mainly due to the fact that people finally learned it was a completely idiotic idea to enter that part of the Payon Forest…." Wepz said all from memory. "Ok… what about it?"

"Very good. I request that I be given an official pass to enter and hunt down the monster." Damienus said grimly.

"I take back what I said. You shouldn't be allowed to sit in this chair due to mental incapacity to comprehend the value of your own life." Wepz had dropped his pen and looked directly at his old instructor. "ARE YOU INSANE??"

"I may be but I'm the only crazy qualified to do it."

"That Wanderer is not your usual monster. Master Damienus, may I remind you that—"

"Grand Master Wepz…" Damienus interrupted. "I am an S-Class High Level ME Priest, which required me to have completed all supportive and combative divine skills. I have led 1452 parties, 1356 of which were against Demon-type monsters which is what a Wanderer is. I am the sole Grand Master of the Magnus Exorcisimus skill, the ultimate offensive/defensive weapon against Demons, Ghosts and the Undead. I have had 50 years of experience in the field both in support and in offense and from what I know I am still alive to tell the tale. I believe I'm more than a match for this Wanderer." The older priest said, a little bit agitated. He knew there would be resistance against his request. But he had not expected it so soon.

"That's exactly the point! You're one of the most powerful priests we have! If a crisis comes that requires your expertise—"

"Then you should take over and take charge of the situation."

"Easier said than done, Master. I haven't even begun training to learn the Magnus Exorcisimus spell. I might never do. Like I was saying, this doesn't seem to be your run-of-the-mill Wanderer. Entire guilds have been lost. And if word that the Pronteran Church is nosing around in someone else's territory…" Wepz didn't even want to continue. The prospect of war between two cities again could rip Prontera apart.

"That's why you're sending me and not an entire brigade of priests. Oh don't worry, I won't be going alone."

"Excuse me?"

"My protégé, Marianna Roxanne will come with me."

"But she's barely my age! With little field exper—"

"And the mage, Lilliana Loran, of Geffen's magician students will accompany us."

"Great… just what we need to spark Geffen's ire." Wepz rolled his eyes. It looked bad from every angle.

"You know I'm the one for this job. I could have done it a long time ago. But I had other matters to attend to. Matters that the church needed me to finish. I think its about time the church paid me back. Besides, this is the best field trip I can think of for Roxanne. You know she's got potential. We both have warps and instant teleports to bring us back here in no time if there's any danger that we could not stand." Damienus knows he'd sold it. Wepz was only doing this due to formality and a secret concern for his old mentor, he knows. He didn't need that right now. Fortunately, Wepz hasn't even come to the personal angle. All the better.

The young Grand Councilor of the Pronteran Church took a deep sigh and considered the facts. None of them looked very promising. But he knew that Damienus could deal with a Wanderer if that was what it was. It would even be good publicity for the Church if Damienus succeeds. This meant more recruits. Lately, the novices were all concerned over the Hunter and the Assassin job classes. New job classes that seemed to speak of action whereas being of the church looked like a boring experience. This might be what the church needs to get more novices interested in the cleric class again. If something does go wrong, Damienus would warp them all back safe and sound and would have to agree that it was a bad idea from the start. He would have won one over his own mentor, then. Both scenarios weren't bad at all. He gave a deep sigh and finally, he nodded

"Ok, you win. First sign of danger, warp everybody back here. I'll give you an excessive supply of gems and other materials you might need. And when all this is finished you are to give a complete report and a blow-by-blow analysis. But…"

"But?" Damienus was already standing up.

"Just get back here in one piece, old man." Wepz finally said, sounding all grown up all of a sudden.

"Count on it." Damienus answered. He turned but almost hit a scribe who was running towards them. "Whoa there, young lady, what's the hurry?"

"Master Damienus, I'm sorry, I have been ordered by Master Wepz to inform him when the lady acolytes are having their athletics class." The scribe bowed apologetically to Damienus and Wepz. The latter's face was all red. Damienus' chuckled as he nodded.

"Ah yes, the 'pressing engagement'…"

"What?? I didn't--- I mean I never told you to--- it isn't what it sounded like, really…" Wepz said dropping his pile of documents trying to explain himself. But Damienus was already walking outside the door, laughing the entire time.

* * *

"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME IN HERE! I am Shinbo! I am the Lucky Thief! Ever see anyone whose skills were built on luck?? NONE! NONE, I tell you! Let me out or I will use my luck and this dungeon wall will fall down and cause a vibration that will shake the Dungeon door and when you go look, it will fall on your foot and then the keys from your belt will become unhinged as you hop around in pain and then I will catch they keys and let myself out and I will beat the living crap out of you all! Let me out of here you sheeties!!" The thief shouted through the bars at the direction of the dungeon door but the guards could hardly hear him. What a mess… just for a simple apple, he got caught by a couple of do-gooders. How can he become an assassin this way? His goal looked to be well beyond his reach. Stranded inside a blasted Pronteran dungeon. Damn.

"Hey pipe down there, will ya? I'm trying to sleep here…"

The sleepy voice startled Shinbo. He didn't notice that he wasn't alone in the cell. He turned to see where the voice came from. Despite it being called a dungeon, it looked far cozy than he had expected. Instead of stone, the floor had been laid out with a cheap but clean rug. There was even a divider for the urinal and small simple curtains for the single barred window. Two petite, but comfortable beds were placed against the walls on either side with cheap lamps hanging above them. A table, obviously used for meals, was in the middle of the cell with two wooden chairs under it. It was pretty charming, actually. Shinbo's "cellmate" was sprawled out on one of the beds with his two hands behind the back of his head and a worn-out "Western Grace" hat covering his face. Shinbo took a step towards him but a sharp sting hit his foot and he yelped in pain, holding his injured toes. The right side of the cell, it seemed, was littered with tiny, bended silver wires almost invisible to the eye.

"Uh uh uh, no walking here please… Oh, I call them staple traps… Keep to your side of the cell and I'll keep to mine, ok? I'm a pretty private person." The other prisoner said. Shinbo observed him as he talked. He was a thief like Shinbo, only a bit thinner and with black hair that covered his ears but not long enough to hit the shoulders as opposed to Shinbo's skinhead cut. Most of his face was covered with the cowboy hat. A few empty beer cans were placed near his bead and more than a few spent cigarettes were on the table. This told Shinbo that this man had been here for quite a while now.

"I'm Shinbo, the lucky thief. What's your name?"

"Call me Staple Wire." Was the answer.

_An odd name_, Shinbo thought. Then he looked at the pieces of wire on the floor. Ah, of course.

"Well?" Shinbo suddenly asked.

"Well what?"

"Well, aren't you going to help me bust ourselves out?" Shinbo said, very irritated. Did he have to spell it out?

"Oh, you want to get out? Why didn't you say so?" Staple asked and slowly took the hat from his face and got up. Shinbo now could see that Staple had a thin face with sharp beady eyes that seemed to look everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The other thief leapt nimbly from the bed, avoiding the traps, and landed right in front of Shinbo, showing that he also possessed skills that a thief had, meaning a natural agility.

"Step away, please." Staple requested and Shinbo obeyed, looking ever more confused. Staple took out another piece of wire similar to the ones on the floor and started fiddling with it, bending it this way and that. When it seemed that he had achieved the desired shape, he walked to the jail's lock and inserted the wire. A loud CLICK startled Shinbo and before his eyes the jail's bar doors swung open.

"What in… How did… That was…"

"You're welcome. Oh, please shut the door when you get out." Staple interrupted him.

Shinbo nodded and started running up the stone steps that led to the dungeon door and outside. But before he reached the top, he stopped, noticing that he was running alone. He looked back to see Staple Wire cleaning his traps and walking back to bed inside the dungeon jail.

"Hey! What in the world are you doing?! We're finally free! C'mon, lets get out of here!" Shinbo shouted but not too loud to alert the guards outside.

"I don't wanna go outside." Was the reply.

"What!! What kind of idiot are you?? You mean you WANT to stay in jail??" Shinbo was dumbstruck. What kind of a moron would like to remain in jail?? There was no reply from the other prisoner. Shinbo shook his head and continued to ascend towards the dungeon door. It was a huge, oak door. Very heavy. Immediately his heart sank, knowing that even if he was out of the jail cell, the door was still locked from the outside. But he was too far to quit now!

He tried to give the door a little push and was completely surprised to learn that it was unlocked. Slowly he opened the door a little more to peek outside. It was a typical warden's office with a few tables and chairs here and there and file cabinets against the walls that contained documents about the various criminals that had been locked inside the dungeon. Near the huge table, the warden sat with his head bowed down, fast asleep. The guards that brought him inside were seated opposite the warden also in a deep slumber. Shinbo could see the cause: emptied mugs all around the trio. It was the perfect thing to see for an attempted escape. Still…

Back in the bed, Staple Wire tried to get back to sleep. The loud thief's voice was so annoying that Staple was more than happy to let him out. Can't he see that it was much better in here? But before he could get back to dreaming, rough hands were rousing him from sleep.

"Hey, c'mon the guards are snoozing! Its our chance to get out of here." It was Shinbo, the loud thief he just let out.

Staple nearly fell out of bed.

"Gawd, you're annoying! I said I didn't wanna get out of here! They always sleep at this time. If you creep past them and out the office, take a left at the next hallway, you'll see a window that would lead outside. What else do you need from me??" Staple said, his face all red now from annoyance. Shinbo stared him back.

"I'm only trying to help here! Jeez, you try to help a guy and you get your head bitten off. Why the hell do you want to stay in here anyway? Are you in love with the guards? Oh, yeah I noticed you didn't want to wake them up. You're probably devising some fantasy man-to-man action!" Shinbo snorted. _What a peculiar person_.

Staple's face turned from red to purple with anger. In a flash he was standing on top of the bed with two daggers on one hand and a handful of different sharp wires on another. Shinbo had leapt back and had a big smile on his face.

"Ho ho ho… so you don't like being called a man-lover eh? Well, why don't you tell me why you want to stay in here? I can't leave a poor defensive weakling like you locked up in here." Shinbo retorted and put on a stance. Teasing people was a habit that Shinbo had that was without par with anyone in Midgard.

"WHAT! Why you…" Staple leapt off the bed and threw a dagger from his right hand aimed at Shinbo's throat. The other thief leapt back just in time. But before he could land he saw that Staple was smiling in mid-air. Shinbo looked behind him and saw the reason. He was about to land in the middle of an enormous pile of staple traps much sharper and bigger than the ones he saw earlier.

_Damn it, he's good…_ Shinbo thought, but before he could react, Staple had fired the other dagger from his hand directly at Shinbo.

Shinbo curled himself into a ball and dodged the dagger which clinked on the floor below him. He didn't have enough time to think of an escape as he was about to land. _Guess I'm done for now…_

Shinbo landed with his right foot first. Immediately he slipped backward. The reason was he accidentally stepped on the flat side of the dagger that he had just avoided and his foot mercifully missed the traps. But his legs came up from under him and Shinbo flailed his arms desperately to grab unto anything at all. His hands clutched unto a piece of cloth and he pulled with all his might. It was the curtains on the window which he grabbed. It held his body for a while but his legs had swung below him making the dagger he stepped on fly forward towards the direction of the bed.

Staple Wire couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his own dagger fly back towards him from the floor. He leapt to his right as the dagger nicked his left ear and ricoched upwards from the impact against the stone wall and sliced the rope that held the covered lamp above Staple's bed. The lamp cover crashed down on the poor thief crumpling his Western Grace and stunning him enough that he fell from the bed face first, breaking the lamp cover on the floor. One of the sharper pieces flew upward and slashed a part of the curtain that held Shinbo.

"NO NO!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The curtain ripped apart and Shinbo fell backwards landing roughly with the urinal divider, knocking it back against the toilet bowl, causing a screw to come lose in the flush mechanism. Due to intense pressure the screw came loose in a gush of water with great speed, nipping a piece of cement loose from a corner in the opposite wall.

In the cell next to the one of Shinbo's and Staple's, the prisoners were sleeping when they heard a low rumbling sound. Looking to their left they saw that the wall was shaking and looked very unstable. The piece of cement that the screw broke off was an initial piece of the mortar that held the corner stone against the floor, creating a small crevice in the age-old mortar that held two stones together.

The stone above the cornerstone shook with the pressure and tilted forward causing a domino effect. The prisoners ran to the other side as the 300 year wall that connected the two dungeon cells crumbled down, sending a strong vibration inside the entire dungeon.

Inside the office, the warden and the two guards woke up to an increasing rumbling sound coming from the dungeon below. Cautiously, the two guards stood up and walked to the dungeon door. In the next second the large door crashed down on both their feet! The door's hinges had come off from the intense vibration of the stone walls. The two guards howled with pain trying to get their feet away from the door. One of them succeeded but fell back, running out of balance. The back of his head hit the nose of the warden who had gotten up to help him. The guard and the warden crashed on the floor with flailing hands, one of which nicked the key ring on the warden's belt causing it to fly through the door and down into the dungeon cells.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… what happened?" Shinbo shook his head to gain his bearings. "WAAAA, WHAT'S THIS??" he asked as he saw Staple face-first on the floor with the dungeon cell in utter ruin, the far wall in fact had crumbled down. Staple was already juddering back to consciousness.

"You… how could you… this was paradise… you… you ruined everything…" was all Staple could say, his face swollen.

"Hey, it was your own fault… you started attacking and—"

**_Tinkle-CLINK!_ **

The keys tinkled as it landed in front of Shinbo. Besides the key to the jail cell (which was already useless since the jail bars had fallen down along with the wall), the key ring contained keys to the window and the doors outside the dungeon as well as the warden's private room where he kept his private belongings and food.

Shinbo took the keys from the floor and tried to stand. But Staple was already standing in front of him.

"WAAAA! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! I AM YOUR FRIEND!!" Shinbo screamed, covering his head with his arms. When nothing happened he peeked through his arms. He saw Staple still standing before him with a curious look on his face.

"You have pretty good moves. But what captivated me was the fact that everything you screamed at the guards a while ago happened in reality. Or almost, at least. Are you some kind of visionary?" Staple asked. Shinbo shook his head and stood up.

"Nope, its my fighting style. Based on luck."

"A fighting style based on luck??" Staple repeated. Was there such a thing? That was absurd! "What's it called?"

"You wanna know??" Shinbo asked with a glimmer in his eyes. The Lucky Thief jumped up on the huge table and started putting on some weird moves left and right. The darkness of the dungeon, along with the meager light being offered by a nearby window made it look like Shinbo was under the glare of spotlights.

"It is called… the ancient fighting style… of… **_PAH SAH WAHY_**!"

Staple's eyes went wide open with amazement. "_Pah... Sah… Wahy_? It sounds pretty exotic!" He said as Shinbo continued to throw punches and kicks in the air.

"Yes, and I could teach you. Soon I'll teach everyone about _Pah Sah Wahy_… accompany me, and let us find students to teach. We will gain fame, riches and women!" Shinbo said and extended an arm to Staple Wire. The other thief scratched his head, thinking about the offer.

"Hmm… I don't know about the fame part. But riches and women work." Staple Wire said with a smile and soon both thieves proceeded to ascend the dungeon stairs.

"What the??" Staple said, stopping Shinbo with his arm. "Look!"

Standing in the doorway to the warden's office was a cloaked figure. Behind it were the unconscious bodies of the warden and around six guards. There was an awful amount of blood on the floor. Due to the noise of their footsteps, the mysterious figure had just seen the two thieves.

"Hmm? He's not in the dungeon either… This is very troublesome." The figure said in a feminine voice. That was when she noticed the disarray that the dungeon cells were in. "Well, well, well… this looks like a jail break. You can run off now. I believe I've finished all the guards here." The figure said and turned around.

"Hey you! We didn't need your help! I'll show you how I deal with nosy people who meddle with the business of others!" Shinbo yelled confidently and ran towards the figure. The intruder turned to see one of the thieves running towards her.

"Thief. You wish… a duel?" the voice sounded amused.

"You're damn right I do. Watch me, Staple Wire! I'll show you how _Pah Sah Wahy_ really works!" Shinbo screamed and leapt towards the stranger.

"NO WAIT! SHINBO! DON'T ATTACK HER! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!" Staple screamed and ran after. Only Staple had seen it when the figure turned and part of her cloak revealed what was hidden underneath.

In her hand was a bloody katar.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS:**

Hmm... who is this mysterious cloaked figure and who is she looking for? What will happen now that Damienus has finally asked permission to hunt down the Wanderer that killed his old friend. Will he and his party succeed? Who is the Blacksmith, Canaan, and what is his part in all of this? Keep the reviews coming in and the next chapter will be on its way! Ciao!


	4. CHAPTER 3: Diamonds in the Rough

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS**

Wow, before anything else, I first want to thank Tela and Halcyon for continually reading this story. I hope I see more of your inspiring words in the future. Anyway, just a little note, this is one of my favorite chapters. A lot of the broken threads were connected on this Chapter and gives more light to those who will eventually be the main characters all throughout the story. Just a note to Tela, Shinbo, really WAS a lucky thief. He was the only person I know who just for the heck of it, created a thief with every stat 1 save for luck which he wanted to go 99 points, hehe. His point was that he would make an assassin that was a monster at Crit and Lucky dodge. Ah, good old beta days when we were all noobs. Anyway, hope you enjoy this next installment and by the way, the character guide has been updated. If there are any times you got lost and wondered who that character was again? well, you have the guide to look to now. Pls tell me if it helps a bit. Chapter 3 on now!

**__**

**_DRAMATIS PERSONAE:_**

**(Since Chapter 1)**

**Main Chars:**

_Damienus_ - Master Priest and High Counciler of the Pronteran Church High Council. The only living Grand Master who has perfected the Magnus Exorcisimus spell.

_Rahne_ - Softspoken but aspiring swordsmaiden whose father was allegedly killed by a Wanderer. (See Prologue)

_Roxanne/Roseanne_ - Feisty, conceited but fiercely loyal, this lady acolyte always seems to be getting in trouble.

_Lilly Loran_ - Demure, Intelligent and strong, Lilly is one of the brightest students in Geffen's Academy of the arcane arts. She is also Roxanne's bestfriend.

_Canaan_ - A lonely and pitiful figure. This blacksmith lives by his lonesome in the woods of Geffen.

**Supporting Cast:**

_Yukan_ - A Wizard Lord from Geffen's Supreme Council of Wizards. He has mastery over Fire-based spells (Introduced in this chapter!)

_Origon_ - Belongs to one of the ruling nobilities of the land of Morroc, this Assassin is known throughout the land for helping bring peace between Prontera and Morroc during the Morrocan war (Introduced in this chapter!)

_Shinbo_ - The self-proclaimed "Lucky thief" captured by Lilly and Roxy while he was stealing an apple

_Staple Wire_ - A thief with a unique tool of weapons

_Kiko_ - A Thief with quick hands and a short temper. He is the leader of a trio of poor bandits that continually steals the Blacksmith Canaan's wares every morning

_G-sas_ - A swordsman in Kiko's party

_Iya_ - A gentle acolyte forced to steal with Kiko and G-sas because of poverty

_Grand Councilor Wepz_: The youngest priest in history to recieve the title of Grand Councilor, which means the leader of the Pronteran Church

_Dragonz_ - Supreme General of the Pronteran Knight Academy

_Minos_ - Dragonz's XO

_Kram-Z_ - Another high-ranking knight in the Pronteran Academy and a friend of Minos and Dragonz

**Other characters:**

_Sister Matilda_: One of the helpers in the Pronteran Church and appears to be a love interest of Damienus

_Governor Xen-Lou_ - Governor of Payon City and close friend of Damienus

_Ferdomear_ - Retired colonel of the Pronteran Army and an instructor from the Pronteran Knight Academy. Ferdomear lost his life protecting his daughter, Rahne, during the events that happened during the Prologue.

_Prince Tam_ - Young King of Prontera forced to sit on the throne when his father, King Tristam the 1st, died.

****

**CHAPTER 3: DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH**

**_Geffen Castle, Geffen_**

Duty can never truly exist without faith. Those that say they were doing their work solely by duty alone were not always destined to do their work completely. In most cases, they fail miserably and with regret. Because when one has faith in what he does and who he serves, the duty that the person does may seem much easier or at least the assurance of his own feelings that said it was worth the effort was there.

Yukan was a man who had faith. Faith in his abilities, faith in his beliefs and most of all faith in his city, the Land of Magic, Geffen. For him, duty was a responsibility that everybody carried and it was natural to obey its whims. In fact to him, duty wasn't exactly "duty" at all but merely necessities and at the worst case, challenges that required the removal of obstacles. Never was there a time that Yukan doubted victory at the end of a battle or in the creation of battle strategies. He was a Wizard Lord of Geffen, a high rank that gave him prestige and honor in the city where the strongest wizards are born. It also meant that he was a master spell caster and his forte were spells of fire and flames. It suited him well for when he was in a battle, his passion and determination to come on top raged inside him hotter than even his most powerful spells. When people see him, they see someone that had an air of knowledge and dedication. Yukan was tall, slim and always carried himself in a dignified manner but those close to him knows that he also had a funny side that gave him many friends. His brown hair was brushed upward revealing a tan-skinned face with green eyes and an easy smile.

But tonight he was heavily troubled. He had just gotten out from a meeting with the Defense Ministers of Geffen and one of the Ministers, his close friend Eva-Duo, had just given some very disturbing news. News that might well mean a future of conflict and strife. Yukan's footsteps echoed as he walked in a long hallway, with wizards and mages bowing when he passed by. He turned into an open doorway and found himself on a very spacious balcony overlooking the city of Geffen. It was no mere sight. Geffen Town's houses and Inns were always lighted at night giving a spectacular show to those that looked from 80 feet above. Beyond the city walls, young mages practiced their spells at the simple monsters situated outside, giving an ever-constant fireworks display that always bathed Geffen in a luminous glow of activity not to be seen from any other city. He had barely rested his arms on the ledge when a gruff voice startled him.

**"Funny how different our two cities are, yet still so much the same."**

The voice came from the shadows and startled Yukan so much that his hands were already moving in the arcane incantations of a spell. But before he could react, the owner of the voice walked in the moonlight and the Wizard was thankful that he had not been in haste to cast an offensive spell targeted at one of the most respected personas in Midgard.

"Lord Origon... you startled me a bit there. But why have you come by this way? Come, let me show you to our guest room and I'll inform the Tower's criers of your visit." Yukan said politely, choosing his words carefully and with poise. The assassin standing in front of him was Lord Origon, one of the Great Princes of Morroc. This meant that he was arguably one of the most powerful men in Midgard and truly one of the deadliest assassins of all time. He had come from a long line of assassin warriors and was second to none in the arts of _Rinken Bakyu_, the specific style used only by the assassin nobility. His katars were hanging by his side and his two large forearms were crossed on his chest as he stared at the lights of Geffen Town below. His blonde hair partly covered the right side of his face and his slightly darkened skin was illuminated by the random lights that were given off by the spells of the young mages in the distance. His mask covered his mouth but his voice came out clearly and the inflections in his voice had the mark of aristocracy in it.

"You do not have to. I'm not staying very long and I hate being treated differently." Origon answered in a gruff voice, his eyes still focused on the lights of the town. Yukan also sensed that he wasn't the only one who was feeling uneasy tonight. He nodded as Origon continued.

"I'll go straight to the point, Yukan. We have a little dilemma down at Morroc and we may need some help from your Wizards."

Yukan rubbed his chin and frowned. Origon's request had come at the most inopportune of times. He thought of his answer carefully. If he refused so abruptly, the Morrocan prince may be insulted and THAT wasn't very good to strengthen diplomatic ties between Geffen and Morroc. Still, he figured that the truth was the best option; in fact the assassin may already know their problems too. They were the best at obtaining information though some may disagree of their methods.

"Lord Origon... I regret that we may not be able to be at power to give aid at this time. We too are having some internal problems of our own. In fact, maybe you could be of some help to us as well. The sooner we can solve our problems, the sooner we can help Morroc out." Yukan said, sweating a bit. The assassin gave him a curious look.

"Oh? Very well then. What can Morroc do for Geffen?"

Yukan walked to the ledge and rested his arms on the cold stone. He wondered if he could trust this information with a Morrocan prince. A long time ago, Morroc had created trouble for Midgard when they decided to invade Prontera, a close ally of Geffen. The bloody war lasted for a while with numerous casualties on both sides. When the irking for peace was at the loudest, Morroc and Prontera signed a peace agreement and settled to work together to support each other. As a sign of faith, Morroc had opened to the public their Assassin Academy where Novices, who chose their 1st job as thieves, could go and train to be stealthy and deadly fighters. To be Assassins. Prontera fulfilled their end of the bargain when they opened their doors to Morrocan citizens and gave caravans of merchants that induced more trade between the two cities. But still, tension was very high and a lot of Midgard's citizens did not trust the word of the Assassins and fear that another invasion may take place in the future. A lot of people have assumed in fact that Geffen was the next target. Yukan swallowed first and his hand went to his forehead. The hesitation did not go unnoticed. Origon placed his cold eyes on the Wizard.

"No trust in our newfound alliance, Yukan? Perhaps I was wrong to come here for help? And even more that I offered my aid?" The voice was becoming frigid. So was the look. Yukan searched for a way to explain his reluctance.

"My apologies, Lord Origon. It's just the news I've heard was particularly disturbing that I could not help but feel uneasy. Different types and species of monsters have been appearing throughout Geffen. Some look like mutated forms of the old monsters. Still some are all entirely new and have been known to use skills and strategies that our sources consider as almost human." Yukan explained, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. Origon did not look surprised.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before Geffen's monsters have been affected. Morroc is also under alert. A lot of our spies have observed massive movements of monsters acting as if they have been organized or even ordered to hold strategic places. Some of our thieves could not train in these areas and I've been getting a lot of complaints." Origon joined Yukan at the ledge. "What does Prontera say?"

"General Dragonz is aware of the monster movements but since no unusual activity has been detected near their territory, they've decided to gather more information first before coming to a decision. Payon however have had a few reports but they have problems of their own as you may well know." Yukan turned and rested his back against the ledge to cross his arms over his chest. "And this had come at such a bad time. Prince Shigeru ran away just last night and the Ministers have used up all our manpower to search for the rascal. And to make things worse, Princess Yuriko left on her own to search for her brother. Both had not been seen or heard from since last night. Lord Origon, if you could help in our search, we'd be glad to help out with the monsters camped in your territory."

"Ah, but you're mistaken, Yukan. I did not come here to ask help to deal with the monsters but because of a disturbingly similar situation." Origon answered as he saw Yukan's questioning stare. "One of our own from the nobility has been reported missing and it appears that we have trained her too well. She had managed to evade all our spies and covered her tracks pretty well. Too well for my own liking, in fact. She is Princess Dukesa."

"Princess Dukesa???" Yukan could hardly believe his ears. Two cities with reports of disturbing activity from monsters in their territories and their respective heirs were missing. "That is very shocking news, Lord Origon. I'm beginning to think of a solution though."

"Yes, I can read your mind. Pool our sources together and try to search for our lost heirs?" Origon suggested and Yukan nodded in agreement. The assassin sighed and walked slowly to a shadowy part of the balcony. "I will instruct Lord Krizalid to include the finding of Prince Shigeru and Princess Yuriko in his objectives. Hopefully, we can find our heirs and solve this monster problem once and for both of our cities' sakes. Thank you for your time, Lord Yukan. I'll be seeing you around." And with that, the assassin Lord melded in the shadows and Yukan found himself alone again with his thoughts and Geffen's lights.

"I have a feeling I'll be seeing you much sooner than that..." Yukan said to nobody at all. With a wave of his cloak, he disappeared back inside the tower to talk to the ministers about his conversation with the Assassin Lord.

* * *

Shinbo was a thief whose imagination never soars to the skies. Once in a while he would look up and see the birds gliding in the wind but he would never wonder how it felt or what kind of freedom it entailed for someone to be sailing in the four winds. Being a thief, he liked to jump and yes, heights never gave him any discomfort but there was always the warm prospect of landing back on ground that he looked forward to. He felt safe, grounded and in control when his two feet were on solid soil.

To put it blatantly, Shinbo never really liked flying.

He opened his eyes and he saw things flying past him at great speed. To fly, to spread your wings and marvel at the freedom of being alone in mid-air and feel the wind whistle past your ears... was this it? Was this how it felt? If it was then... It was great! He could stay like this forever, he thought as he smiled and welcomed the feeling. Then reality came back at him in a hurry. And it had the form of... a door.

"What in???" But it was too late to even try to react. Shinbo crashed painfully on the door that led outside from the warden's office, smashing it well beyond repair. It turned out that he was flying, yes, but the cause was from a well-placed kick that slammed at his chest when he tried to jump a cloaked figure that had appeared just as he and Staple Wire was trying to escape. He groaned and tried to breathe. It came in short gasps and spots were dancing a pretty ballet in front of his eyes. A few meters in front of him, Staple Wire was trying to gauge the skills of the intruder, but he wasn't having much luck. The cloaked figure was able to parry attacks with ease and used the slightest of movements to hit back. She even looked like she's toying with them.

"Shinbo?! Are you alright?? You! You didn't have to do that! We meant you no harm!" Staple Wire said to the lady assassin, gritting his teeth and holding his two daggers in front of him. His hands shivered. This was no mere adventurer. He knew he was dealing with a pro. And a lady assassin at that.

"Your friend attacked me. I only defended myself. That was pretty rude of him, considering I did you both a favor when I killed all the dungeon guards." The lady assassin answered, the hood of her cloth still covering the upper part of her face. Staple could only see her mouth and it had a feminine smile on it. Both her katars were out in the open now, and the blood from the guards gave it an eerie glow. Staple Wire marveled at the design. Like all katars, the blade ended in sharp tips that could cut easily into flesh and even through armor but that was where the similarity ends. The two edges of the triangular blade ended into graceful arcs that represented what looked like wings. The handles were of intricate design, its length was carved in spirals and even through the blood, it gleamed in the light. He squinted his eyes and decided that it was... yes, made of ivory. Whoever she was, she appeared to be somebody important. And probably dangerous. Staple Wire gripped his daggers tightly. He mustn't be intimidated! In the future, he would also be in assassin's clothes too but that was only if he survived long enough to prove to himself that he was capable of reaching this goal.

"We can handle ourselves. We don't need any help from y--" Staple blinked and suddenly she was gone. He froze with fear and uncertainty. Where will the attack come from? The side? From behind? Via a projectile? The answer turned out to be all three. A piece of the stony floor came flying at him in top speed from the side. He twisted to the right to dodge and barely got both his daggers up to block a slicing attack by a katar from behind. The blades clinked loudly and sparks flew as Staple stumbled back from the impact. The assassin however, gracefully hopped forward and completed a roll for the follow through. Two more stabs flew in quickly and Staple Wire parried the first with his left dagger, twirled the one on his right and chose a backhand slash to both parry and wound the hand that held the katar. He was fighting for balance and he was losing.

The assassin pulled back her arm quickly before the dagger could nick her hand and kicked a piece of wooden debris from the floor. Staple Wire flailed his hands in front oh him to cover his face as he stumbled back. The assassin was about to deliver the final blow when Shinbo appeared out of nowhere with a wild scream and a flying kick aimed at her face. The assassin merely stopped her attack and ducked. As her head went forward, her right leg shot upward from the back like a pendulum and caught Shinbo's stomach in mid-air. The Lucky Thief crashed shoulder-first into the warden's desk, breaking it in half. Staple wire used the momentary distraction to launch one of his daggers at the assassin as she looked in the other direction. The woman merely moved her head to one side and the dagger missed her by a centimeter and buried itself on one of the pieces of the warden's broken desk, just a few inches from Shinbo's ear.

"You idiot! Whose side are you on, anyway?!" Shinbo screamed, scrambling back to his feet away from both the dagger and the assassin.

"Hey, I don't see how getting repeatedly flung to the furniture could help us in the long run!" Staple shot back, grabbing a handful of staple traps from his pocket. But he hesitated when he saw that the assassin was not moving to attack. The cloak appeared to be shaking. It turned out that the assassin was laughing and laughing hard. The hood suddenly came down and the stranger revealed her true identity. Shinbo and Staple Wire's jaws dropped as they saw the vision that unraveled in front of them.

The assassin was indeed a woman and her red lips were only a glimpse of what was the full beauty of Princess Dukesa. Her soft hands brought both her katars to the floor to wipe them off on the warden's clothes and to run her fingers through the length of her green hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and sparkled like oases set on a desert that had the color of alabaster which was what her skin resembled. She had an easy smile on her face but an aura of sadness along with what appeared to be a hidden rage about her.

"I've decided that I'll let you both live. I see now that I cannot complete this quest alone. You have nothing to fear from me from now on." The princess said as she placed both her katars inside her cloth gracefully.

It took both thieves a full minute to even get their mouths to close. But it was Shinbo who broke the silence first.

"Y-y-y- you're... you're a woman???"

Two seconds later, Shinbo realized that he didn't really like flying at all. But the view from a freefall from a Pronteran dungeon tower window wasn't all that bad.

* * *

**_Hakata Forests, 2 Kilometers off the outskirts of Payon Town._**

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Ok... now?"

"No."

"I know! Right about now, right?"

"No."

"**_SIGH_!**"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'NO'? I didnt even ask a question that time! How c--"

"No."

The Blacksmith Canaan opened a sleepy eye as he lay back on his tree. He'd been hearing the strange voices for quite some time now and figured that they were passing through this part of the road at least for the fourth time this morning. The girl's voice was most particularly loud and annoying, he thought. The rugged Blacksmith shrugged and adjusted his Sakkat to block the sun's bright rays. He didn't get enough sleep last night and he wanted to make up for it this day.

By all accounts it looked to be a beautiful day in Hakata Forests. The large stretch of woodland that served as a path between Geffen and Payon was bright and windy this morning and the sounds of birds singing melodiously and the sight of butterflies frolicking in the flowers gave the scenic view an aesthetically pleasing quality that looked perfect for a summer day painting. He chewed on a fresh blade of grass and resumed his interrupted slumber. With his two hands behind his head and his right leg resting on his left knee, it took only a few seconds 'till he was back in a restful state. Pity. It wasn't meant to last very long.

"There! See? We've passed by this dumb Blacksmith for the fourth time already. I don't even know why we have to walk all this way to get to Payon!"

"No."

"Its not funny, Master Damienus. Stop it already."

"Ok."

"Really?"

"No."

"YOU'RE HOPELESS!"

Canaan definitely could not rest with all that racket. He wished that these noisy people would just move along to wherever they wished to go. Maybe pick one of his weapons up while they're at it, he chuckled to himself. It wasn't yet time for Kiko and his party to drop by and steal his weapons. Maybe he could actually sell something this time before they do and maybe earn enough for a new Sakkat...

"Excuse me, Mister?"

The question sounded very close. He opened both his eyes and waited for the sleepy daze to disappear. The upper part of his Sakkat covered most of his view but he could see at least four people in front of his little stall. Heh, that's a laugh. "Stall" was really an overstatement, in fact. His little shop consisted of a blanket set in the grass with two knives, two swords and a used can of pickles. But he almost never had customers anyway so who cares?

"Is he dead?" It was the girl's voice. "Wow, he's decomposing..."

"I'm very much alive, miss... Can I help you with anything?" Canaan answered angrily and looked up, taking off his Sakkat to have a better view of the little party. Four people were standing in front of him. A priest, a swordswoman, a lady mage and... a lady acolyte. Something inside Canaan twitched at the latest sight. The acolyte was very pretty but her face was in a disgusted scowl which he knew the cause was his own rugged state. He turned away from the acolyte's hazel green eyes that bore into him. Why did she have to be an acolyte?? Why did he have to see another lady acolyte so soon???

The priest was observing him as he turned away. Canaan cursed at himself for appearing so transparent. If there was something Canaan didn't need right now, it was social interaction, somebody asking questions or even just harmless conversation. Can't they just go away? "If you're looking for money, I aint got nothing on me." He finally said.

"Easy there, fellow..." The priest assured him. "We just need some directions towards Payon Town. We've been wandering blindly for quite some time now and this acolyte here lost the backpack containing our warp gems."

"I didn't _LOSE_ the backpack, I just put it down to rest my arms and then it was gone!" The acolyte interrupted angrily, swiping part of her bangs behind her ears.

"Yeah, you put it down in the middle of a crowded inn. That's very smart." The lady mage sighed and rolled her eyes. The swordswoman of the party merely remained silent and watched as the two other girls debated on whose fault it was.

"Oh yeah? I was bringing both the gem bag and the food bag. If only a certain mage stopped and helped instead of parading around the inn patrons looking like little miss 'hey-look-at-my-butt'!" The acolyte snapped back.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!!!" The priest yelled back and the two girls stopped at once with the acolyte sticking his tongue out and the lady mage almost already chanting a Level 10 Thunderbolt spell. He turned back towards the Blacksmith and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for interrupting your peace. But we really need your help. My name is Master Damienus of the Pronteran Church. The acolyte's name is Roxy and the mage over there is Lilly. The swordswoman behind us is Rahne. We're kinda in a tough spot. I'll make it worth your while, if you could maybe be our guide until we reach Payon Town...?" Damienus asked.

Canaan let a few seconds go by so he looked like he was actually thinking about it. Then he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I'll pass. What you need to do is to follow this path towards the broken-down windmill. Continue west from there along the river then cross the bridge and you'll find yourself in another path. Let's see... if you follow that one, you will enter Fisherboughs Forest and then the road to Payon will be in sight." Canaan finished and looked off from the distance. "However, don't ever enter Fisherboughs Forest at night."

"Why? What's with Fisherbough at night?" Lilly asked with a curious look on her face.

"Just... don't go there at night. You can move along now, if you leave right away you can make it beyond the forest before dark." Canaan said and lay back on his tree. He reached for his Sakkat and put it back on. He could see Damienus shrug and look at his party mates.

"Well... ok, thanks for the information, stranger. May God bless you." Damienus said with a smile but when he was about to take a step, he hesitated, hearing an odd whistling sound. "Do you guys hear something?"

Before anyone could answer, a hefty piece of rock slammed into the back of the old priest's head at top speed knocking Damienus completely out and he fell forward on his face. Three figures entered the pathway quickly. A swordsman, a thief, and a lady Acolyte. It was Kiko's party coming to steal Canaan's wares again right on schedule.

"The priest is down, G-sas. You take care of the Mage and I'll deal with the swordswoman. Iya, we need support!" The thief yelled and ran to the shocked party. What luck! These people talking to the Blacksmith looked pretty rich! First, the Blacksmith's wares then these suckers' goods. They would make a lot of money today!

"BANDITS! Roxy go and see if Master Damienus is alright. Rahne and I will deal with these lowlifes!" Lilly screamed to her friend. The acolyte nodded quickly and ran to the fallen priest. Rahne took on a grim face and brought out her sword as she looked at Lilly for commands. Lilly's right hand moved in a small circle as her left hand glowed in a purple haze.

_"Etheral hues... Beings of Dimensions escaflowne and rath, show me a portion of your power. Wreck havok on this plane as I call upon you..."_ Lilly brought both her hands to her side and they glowed intensely with power.

**_"SOUL DIVIDE!!!"_**

Two beams of purple light shot out from each hand curving at their own whim directly towards Kiko the thief and G-sas the swordsman. G-sas merely brought up his Mirror shield and the two beams that came into his direction dispersed uselessly over the shield that was built to withstand and lessen the power of magic spells. The two beams that went to Kiko were easily dodged by a flying leap as the beams impacted on the ground, burning grass and skittering stones in every direction. Lilly saw that Kiko was heading towards Rahne. She hoped that Rahne's sword wasn't just for show and that the shy swordsmaiden could defend herself if she had to. Because she was gonna have her hands full with the swordsman walking slowly towards her.

Roxy ran towards her stunned teacher, looking back a bit to see Lilly's attack rendered useless by a Mirror shield. She wanted to go there and help them but Damienus wasn't in very good shape. The impact on the back of his head was pretty strong but thankfully not fatal as long as she stayed there to take care of the clotting. She took a few pieces of cloth and covered the nasty bump on the old priest's head. Damn it, she can't stay here for this. Her friends needed help! She looked around and saw Canaan the Blacksmith staring at her, still sitting under his tree. He hadn't moved since the fighting began. Her blood began to boil at the sight.

"Hey you! We need help here! Arent you a Blacksmith? Please help my friends. I can't leave my teacher like this! Aren't you a gentleman?" Roxy screamed, pointing to his friends. Canaan looked at the fighting and gave her a blank stare.

"I don't wanna get involved. I might get hurt. Besides, they really don't mean any harm. They come every morning to steal my weapons. Guess its just bad luck that they saw you with me. Maybe if you give them your bag of food, they'll just go away." Canaan explained, finally getting up to help move the unconscious priest to the shade. Roxy felt like she'd just been slapped.

"Give them our bag of food??? You might get hurt??? I've never seen such a coward in my entire life. My two lady friends are in danger. Dont you have any conscience?!" Roxy was fighting to hold back tears. Tears of concern and of anger were welling up. She couldn't believe such a heartless person could exist in the world.

Canaan looked at the acolyte with much sadness. Tears were coming down now. He looked away. He shouldn't really be involved. But he couldn't help her sad look. He looks back again at the fighting. Lilly was blocking sword slashes with her simple guard. But with G-sas using a mirror shield, she could hardly fight back. Rahne was holding her own against Kiko, surprisingly. But the shy girl simply just had little experience dealing with agile opponents. Her missed attacks increased in stride while Kiko's daggers were getting dangerously close to her neck. Iya, the acolyte of Kiko's party supported them both in every way, giving them an advantage that they already had from the start. He sighed and slowly got up. He held out a hand at Roxy. "If you want to save your friends, give me your bag of food. Don't worry, I have enough at my house."

* * *

_He's just... too... fast!_ Rahne thought as she missed yet again with a stab. She hadn't even come close to wounding the thief in any way. He ducked low on slashes, sidestepped stabs and kept moving, forcing her to keep changing direction to catch up. The thief twirled his dagger and leapt to the air. Rahne stepped back and nearly tripped, barely getting her shield high to block his attack. Kiko's dagger slid on the shield's surface and he landed in front of a stumbling Rahne. His leg shot up and hit the lower side of Rahne's shield, making her lose her grip and sending the shield away from her. Without her defense, Rahne was a sitting duck. Kiko flew forward with his dagger aimed at her neck. Rahne brought her sword up to parry but Kiko was just too strong. The sword flew out of her hands and she fell back. Looking up he saw Kiko's lunging at her for the finishing blow.

Iya gasped when she saw what was happening. Kiko was too caught up in the fight that he didn't even notice that he was about to kill somebody. His dagger whistled through the air with a mission to kill. He could hear people yell at him but he could do nothing to stop his attack now.

"KIKO STOP!!!" Iya screamed.

"Kiko, you forget yourself!!!" G-sas yelled immediately, already running towards them.

"RAHNE!!!!" Lilly and Roxy cried in unison.

What followed was a horrible sound of something sharp tearing through something soft.

Then silence.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS:**

Gasp! Another death so soon??! Keep the reviews in and Chapter 4 will be up as soon as tomorrow or two days. Ciao!


	5. CHAPTER 4: Lessons in Scarlet

**AUTHOR'S HOWL'S:**

Sorry for the late update, Christmas was up and had to update some other stuff I've been doing as well as training (I'm part of our National team in Initial D Ver 3). Anyway, I just played around with the overall setting of the chapter but it will explain a few things as well as connect some other things as well. Hope you readers are still out there! LGA Chapter 4 now up!

**_DRAMATIS PERSONAE:_**

(Since Chapter 1)

**Main Chars:**

_Damienus_ - Master Priest and High Counciler of the Pronteran Church High Council. The only living Grand Master who has perfected the Magnus Exorcisimus spell.

_Rahne_ - Softspoken but aspiring swordsmaiden whose father was allegedly killed by a Wanderer. (See Prologue)

_Roxanne/Roseanne_ - Feisty, conceited but fiercely loyal, this lady acolyte always seems to be getting in trouble.

_Lilly Loran_ - Demure, Intelligent and strong, Lilly is one of the brightest students in Geffen's Academy of the arcane arts. She is also Roxanne's bestfriend.

_Canaan_ - A lonely and pitiful figure. This blacksmith lives by his lonesome in the woods of Geffen.

**Supporting Cast:**

_Yukan_ - A Wizard Lord from Geffen's Supreme Council of Wizards. He has mastery over Fire-based spells

_Origon_ - Belongs to one of the ruling nobilities of the land of Morroc, this Assassin is known throughout the land for helping bring peace between Prontera and Morroc during the Morrocan war

_Shinbo_ - The self-proclaimed "Lucky thief" captured by Lilly and Roxy while he was stealing an apple

_Staple Wire_ - A thief with a unique tool of weapons

_Kiko_ - A Thief with quick hands and a short temper. He is the leader of a trio of poor bandits that continually steals the Blacksmith Canaan's wares every morning

_G-sas_ - A swordsman in Kiko's party

_Iya_ - A gentle acolyte forced to steal with Kiko and G-sas because of poverty

_Grand Councilor Wepz_ - The youngest priest in history to recieve the title of Grand Councilor, which means the leader of the Pronteran Church

_Dragonz_ - Supreme General of the Pronteran Knight Academy

_Minos_ - Dragonz's XO

_Kram-Z_ - Another high-ranking knight in the Pronteran Academy and a friend of Minos and Dragonz

**Other characters:**

_Sister Matilda_ - One of the helpers in the Pronteran Church and appears to be a love interest of Damienus

_Governor Xen-Lou_ - Governor of Payon City and close friend of Damienus

_Ferdomear_ - Retired colonel of the Pronteran Army and an instructor from the Pronteran Knight Academy. Ferdomear lost his life protecting his daughter, Rahne, during the events that happened during the Prologue.

_Prince Tam_ - Young King of Prontera forced to sit on the throne when his father, King Tristam the 1st, died.

****

**CHAPTER 4: LESSONS IN SCARLET**

**_Prontera All-purpose Hall, Prontera_**

_Damienus stood in the middle of the stage, dressed in a fine leather jacket covering his bare chest, and a dark pair of tight jeans. He was holding an electric guitar that had the faint image of a cross painted on the front. The crowds of fans cheered and roared their praises to the guitarist, and he gave a wave of recognition in response._

_He strummed a chord, preparing for a song, fixing the various cracks and squeaks in the AC/DC box. Suddenly he broke into a soft melody with an acoustic sound, and began to sing after a few seconds._

_colorred"Your words to me just a whisper,  
Your faces so unclear I try to pay attention Your words just disappear._

_'Cause it's always raining in my head Forget all the things I should have said._

_So I speak to you in riddles,  
'Cause my words get in my way I smoke the whole thing to my head,  
And feel it wash away 'Cause I can't take anymore of this, I want to come apart, or dig myself a little hole Inside your precious heart._

_'Cause it's always raining in my head Forget all the things I should have said._

_I am nothing more than a little boy inside That cries out for attention,  
Yet I always try to hide And I talk to you like children,  
'Cause I don't know how I feel But I know I'll do the right thing If the right thing is revealed._

_'Cause it's always raining in my head Forget all the things I should have said."_

_Damienus finished on a soft fade-out and nodded at the cheering crowd. "Thank you, you've all been great."_

* * *

"You've all been... great... uh..." Damienus opened his eyes as the dream faded out from his mind. He felt something wet behind his head and he groaned as he tried to sit up. The right hand that he used to touch the back part of his head came up with speckles of scarlet on it. Damn. His head felt like hell and he was feeling a little woozy and all the while looking for the audience that was cheering for him just a few seconds ago. All he did see was Roxy on his left kneeling in front of him but she was looking behind him and her mouth was wide open.

Then the old priest looked followed her gaze. The scene was entirely far from a stage and people cheering. It was quiet. Eerily quiet. When Damienus saw what everyone was looking at, his mouth dropped down too.

Kiko, the thief was standing with his knife hand extended and splattered with scarlet while Rahne was sprawled on the ground, shaken and with a lot of blood on her Swordsmaiden dress. There was somebody between them but he couldn't remember who it was, he was still a little woozy. What he could see was that it was a man. Somebody in a white polo shirt.

Then it hit him.

* * *

Kiko was too shocked to move. He didn't really intend to kill the swordswoman but he was too caught up in the heat of the fight, too eager to show his moves that he might have gotten a bit too far. When his dagger did tear through flesh, his heart sank as he closed his eyes. He couldnt bear to look. To see his dagger pierce through her neck. To see Iya's face of dismay. He felt warm blood on his hand and he shivered. This wasn't his true self! How can he face Iya now?

He remembers the time he met Iya and G-sas back in Prontera. He was a novice who had a lifelong dream of becoming the strongest assassin in the world. He, Iya and G-sas were all orphans and they vowed that they would stick together no matter what happened. To become a thief, Kiko worked so hard and trained to the fullest. He refused to be helped or tanked by stronger people. Iya and G-sas liked this trait about him, his devotion fed their own and through his example, they made it through to their first jobs. Kiko, of course was the first to reach the first job of all three. He knew that it was the start of an all-new adventure and that he needed to work doubly hard. But sometime along the way, he apparently lost the passion and the devotion for his dream. Somewhere between getting through a day with nothing to eat and to bear Iya's sad look, Kiko had changed. But the event that ultimately derailed Kiko was one a long time ago in a far off place and time but still burned in his memory.

He remembered Iya was having a bad fever that night and he and G-sas were looking for some food in Prontera. Without a penny to him, Kiko wandered about, begging Blacksmiths and merchants to spare him a few zennies. The merchants and Blacksmiths all looked at him with disgust in their face, shooing him away like an insect. He was up the entire night trying to find food, or money, anything at all. When he figured he couldn't find it this way, he went out and tried to gather loot to sell. He chanced upon a lone Mummy that had lost its way out of the pyramids and figured he had to give it a shot. The fight was long and hard. Kiko had been bloodied and bruised and all his pots and healing equipment were used up. When finally he did defeat the monster, he slowly bent down to gather the single jeweled memento that was dropped. But he couldn't grab it. A burly, ugly-looking Blacksmith pushed him out of the way and snatched the loot off the ground. Kiko pleaded with the Blacksmith, telling him how he needed the loot for his sick friend but the Blacksmith ignored him and told him that he saw the loot first and Kiko just didn't try to pick it fast enough. Finally, the Blacksmith threw him two zennies just so that he could leave. But before the cruel Blacksmith left, he requested that Kiko say his thanks.

"Whenever you are given something you don't deserve, twerp, you say Thank You. Show a little gratitude, you ingrate!" The Blacksmith sneered and took off, leaving Kiko injured and with two measly zennies to buy food for Iya. It was lucky for him the G-sas managed to kill a few Willows to gather some sweet potatoes or they wouldn't have been able to eat that night. That time Kiko decided that he would NEVER beg again. He would take the money from them and he wouldn't have to hear any thanks from him. But even pushed to the limits of desperation, Kiko never really wanted to kill anyone. He despised murderers who killed in cold blood. He may be a thief but he knew that he still had his honor.

Until today. For today he killed in cold blood. Killed a girl to take her money. He was lower than anybody he had ever known.

Slowly he opened his eyes to survey the damage. His hand was all bloodied and red but the knife was not buried inside Rahne's neck. It appeared that it had pierced an arm. A forearm to be exact. The Blacksmith Canaan was kneeling in front of him, with his left arm held up, blocking Kiko's knife with his naked arm and clutching a bag of food on his right. The body cringed in pain as Kiko moved a bit but Canaan didn't lash out. He didn't even try to take the knife off his arm. What he did do is bring his right hand up to offer the bag of food to Kiko.

"Here... take... this. This could... get you through... the week at least. Please, just leave these people be. Take the weapons... I've made. They're worth... a few zennies at the worst." Canaan said, his voice trembling a little with the pain. Kiko didn't know what to do. Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to move. Slowly, he took his knife away from the Blacksmith's hand. Canaan clenched his teeth as the blade came off but he did not move. The Blacksmith didn't even bring his arms down. Kiko looked at G-sas and Iya. Both were watching him, waiting for his command. He looked again at the Blacksmith. This other Blacksmith who had apparently fed him and his friends for some time now from the money that came from the weapons they stole from him. This other Blacksmith whom for weeks now had to go home penniless because of what they've done. This other Blacksmith that risked his life to save a stranger and unwittingly also saved a thief's soul. There was no pity for Canaan from Kiko. No. The pity Kiko felt was for himself.

"I didn't... I mean I don't..." Kiko started to say, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I know you didn't mean to. But if you had just wanted food why didn't you just ask for it?" Canaan interrupted him gently as Iya came up beside Kiko. The acolyte also had tears in her eyes. The revelations had been stunning. The Blacksmith had known all along how poor they were. He could've caught them anytime if he had wished. But he knew that they needed the money from the weapons. Knew that they didn't have a choice. And now he had saved both Kiko and the swordsmaiden. Who was this man?

"I think its time we ended this way of living, Kiko. Maybe if we worked honestly for a living, things wouldn't resort to this. Instead of getting items through stealing, why don't we earn them through hunting and honest work? But it could only happen if we act together." Iya said, wiping the tears in her eyes but with determination in her heart. Kiko never wanted to see Iya cry. But he had a feeling that her tears were not of sadness but also for joy. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked to his other side and saw G-sas standing with a smile on his face. It seemed he had agreed as well. What the hell... it was about time he became an assassin anyway. He looked at the Blacksmith, nodded his head and took the offering of food and weapons. Fighting back the tears, he said the two words he had never thought he'd say. And he meant every word.

"Thank you."

* * *

This reminded her so much like home.

Rahne looked around the cozy clearing, observing the makeshift training dummies, the rusty anvil, the makeshift cooking area and the small, round house. It felt so much like her shack, holed up in the middle of the woods with nobody bothering you. It was a good way to live. But remembering her home made her think of her father again. And that kind of memory always hurt.

It had been some time since Kiko and his party left with the Blacksmith's offering of food and weapons. She found that they had been good people after all, forced only to steal due to poverty. If Canaan (which she learned was the name of the Blacksmith) had not been there, she would've been dead by now. Seeing Canaan take a blade meant for her kind of reminded her of a time that another man was standing in front of her with a blade pierced through him. Rahne closed her eyes to fight off the memory. It was no use being sad now. If she wanted to be strong to avenge her father, she would need every amount of bravery she could muster.

"She doesn't say much, does she." Canaan asked, observing Rahne walking aimlessly around his clearing. Roxy was busy tending to his arm and to Damienus's bump while Lilly cooked some stew for them to eat.

"Kind of reminds me of someone." Damienus said, smiling at him. Canaan shrugged and looked away.

"Point taken." Was all the Blacksmith said when he felt a sharp pain on his left arm. He took it sharply away from Roxy's hold. "OW! Can't you be a lot more gentle with that???"

"Well, excuuuuuuse me, your highness... you know, if you had just pushed Rahne out of the way instead of taking a blade in your arm to act like a hero, this wouldn't have happened in the first place!" Roxy snapped, brimming with irritation. But she had a hidden curiosity about what happened. She didn't know if she was too shocked to observe things properly but she couldn't explain how Canaan had gotten between Rahne and Kiko so fast. Kiko was already in the air and Canaan was just standing beside her, taking the bag of food. The next thing she knows Canaan had covered Rahne and took the hit meant for her. She couldn't understand it. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. Her thoughts were interrupted when Damienus spoke.

"You do come in handy sometimes, Mister Canaan. Didn't even see you move back there. Listen, I'm sorry we got you mixed up in this but I'd really like you to reconsider my offer. I'll pay you 5 Million zennies taken from the Church's fund if you just guide us to the road to Payon." Damienus offered, playing his ace in the hole: money. Not his. But the Church's. There was something very peculiar about this Blacksmith. Something he couldn't put a finger on just yet. But Canaan did deal with the scenario perfectly, wound none withstanding. Looking around the Blacksmith's place, he knew that it was not an offer easy to pass from somebody this poor. He looked at the Blacksmith again. This time, he was taking a longer time to think about it. Five million zennies could spiffy the place up a little bit and pay for a few luxuries. Canaan closed his eyes and crossed his arms with a deep sigh.

"I don't have to fight. I don't really want to play hero. All I do is guide you there. And I don't take orders from anybody. If somebody wanders off, I'm not responsible." Canaan finally grunted. He wasn't sure if he was making the right decision. But he had absolutely no money now. And he didn't have any more materials to make weapons. He needed to hunt some more materials that could only be found from Payon monsters. Besides, Five million zennies just to bring them to the road wasn't all that bad. He stood up and walked to his house with Lilly, Rahne, Damienus and Roxy shrugging to each other, wondering what he was doing.

Canaan emerged a few minutes later looking very different from when they last saw him. He had on a clean polo, new jeans and some spiffy new gloves. His long hair was tied up in a ponytail behind him making his deep blue eyes stand out so much that Lilly blushed a little when he glanced at her. But it wasn't the outfit that stunned them all... but rather what the Blacksmith was carrying.

Behind him, two swords made an X pattern as they were held in place by straps. Covering Canaan's back was a shiny buckler, worn out but still very much sturdy. His polo was still untucked and covered his belt but a few knives could be seen jutting out. Damienus wondered how many of them were there. Just above his shoes were two Tomahawk axes held in place by straps that hugged his legs. Finally, in his hand he carried something wrapped around in some dirty bandages. When Canaan unraveled it, the party discovered that it was a magnificent sword. Long and sharp, it was curved like a Katana but the length was a little off. This sword was longer. There also seemed to be a certain lightness to it. Obviously, it was no ordinary sword.

"Wow... you look like you're going to war..." Lilly marveled, still amazed at the sudden transformation. Rahne nodded in agreement. Canaan looked uncomfortable with the attention.

"I've got to hunt when I get to Payon. And these... these are the last of my wares. I'm planning to sell them." Canaan huffed; hurriedly sheathing the sword but not before Damienus took a good look at it. The old priest could not believe his eyes.

"It can't be... that sword... If I'm not mistaken, that sword is a Masamune." Damienus stammered taking a step towards Canaan. The Blacksmith moved back, suddenly becoming suspicious.

"Yeah. Its a Masamune... What about it?"

"But that kind of sword could only be taken from..." Damienus asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"... some monster called a Wanderer." Canaan said calmly, wondering why this was suddenly so important.

"And you... you killed this Wanderer?" Damienus asked, his disbelief growing more and more.

"Uhm... yeah?"

Damienus couldnt believe his ears. This Blacksmith had killed a Wanderer?? But the Masamune was proof enough. He couldn't have bought it, nobody was stupid enough to part with such a splendid sword. He was getting dizzy with all the thinking. It was just impossible. The only way to get a Masamune was to kill a Wanderer yourself. No other way.

Canaan was looking at the priest curiously. He didn't understand why Damienus had reacted that way. Canaan just thought that perhaps he'd been away from civilization too long that he didn't know if there was something wrong with people carrying Masamunes. Damienus was looking at him strangely now. The priest looked like he was going to faint. Canaan coughed.

"I don't know what's the big deal... I had a hundred of these. I gave away ninety-nine and kept this one for myself. Why? Are you looking for one for yourself?"

**THUD!**

"What the?? Lilly, Roxy, the old priest fainted! Get me some cold water!"

* * *

_Damienus smiled as he saw the audience cheer from his last encore. But it had been a long night and he had best go home. He bowed and gave a small salute with his guitar to his fans before the scene faded out._

_"Thank you, you've all been a great audience."_

_

* * *

_

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS:**

Well there you have it folks! Please keep those reviews coming! Chapter 5 won't be up till around 2nd week of January or so depending on how busy my schedule will be.


	6. CHAPTER 5: Tangling Threads

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS**

Chapter 5 is now up to those who still wanna read LGA! (Hope you guys are still out there...) The next update MIGHT take a little more time because I'm gonna put up a lot more effort in the next chapter. I just hope our team battle won't affect my writing... Oh and to Nimajneb, thanks so much for the kind words but I'm nowhere near an english master. I just try my damndest. Oh, and about that part where you say there might not be a singular plot, if you have some time please click on my profile, my writing style I used in this fic was explained there. Hope that enlightens you a bit. And about the wanderer? Let me just say that your current reaction is just proof that my plan is working smiles Chapter 5... Tangling Threads... Enjoy!

**_DRAMATIS PERSONAE:_**

(Since Chapter 1)

**Main Chars:**

_Damienus_ - Master Priest and High Counciler of the Pronteran Church High Council. The only living Grand Master who has perfected the Magnus Exorcisimus spell.

_Rahne_ - Softspoken but aspiring swordsmaiden whose father was allegedly killed by a Wanderer. (See Prologue)

_Roxanne/Roseanne_ - Feisty, conceited but fiercely loyal, this lady acolyte always seems to be getting in trouble.

_Lilly Loran_ - Demure, Intelligent and strong, Lilly is one of the brightest students in Geffen's Academy of the arcane arts. She is also Roxanne's bestfriend.

_Canaan_ - A lonely and pitiful figure. This blacksmith lives by his lonesome in the woods of Geffen. He has agreed to accompany Damienus's party and act as a guide to Payon.

_Cloune_ - A handsome, mid-level swordsman who seems to have some craving to kill martins. He joined Damienus's party on the way to Fisherboughs Forest (Introduced in this Chapter!)

**Supporting Cast:**

_Yukan_ - A Wizard Lord from Geffen's Supreme Council of Wizards. He has mastery over Fire-based spells

_Origon_ - Belongs to one of the ruling nobilities of the land of Morroc, this Assassin is known throughout the land for helping bring peace between Prontera and Morroc during the Morrocan war

_Shinbo_ - The self-proclaimed "Lucky thief" captured by Lilly and Roxy while he was stealing an apple

_Staple Wire_ - A thief with a unique tool of weapons

_Kiko_ - A Thief with quick hands and a short temper. He is the leader of a trio of poor bandits that continually steals the Blacksmith Canaan's wares every morning

_G-sas_ - A swordsman in Kiko's party

_Iya_ - A gentle acolyte forced to steal with Kiko and G-sas because of poverty

_Grand Councilor Wepz_ - The youngest priest in history to recieve the title of Grand Councilor, which means the leader of the Pronteran Church

_Dragonz_ - Supreme General of the Pronteran Knight Academy

_Minos_ - Dragonz's XO

_Kram-Z_ - Another high-ranking knight in the Pronteran Academy and a friend of Minos and Dragonz

**Other characters:**

_Sister Matilda_ - One of the helpers in the Pronteran Church and appears to be a love interest of Damienus

_Governor Xen-Lou_ - Governor of Payon City and close friend of Damienus

_Ferdomear_ - Retired colonel of the Pronteran Army and an instructor from the Pronteran Knight Academy. Ferdomear lost his life protecting his daughter, Rahne, during the events that happened during the Prologue.

_Prince Tam_ - Young King of Prontera forced to sit on the throne when his father, King Tristam the 1st, died.

**CHAPTER 5 – Tangling Threads**

_**Prontera city, Prontera**_

There was a spring in Iya's step as she walked the streets of Prontera. She hummed a light tune and kept on a huge smile as she skipped forward, glancing at a random merchant stall or two. She blushed a little when she saw a couple of youths giving her a lingering gaze. She insisted to herself that it was because of the sparkling new acolyte dress that Kiko bought for her and nothing else. What with her blue eyes and near flawless hair, humility was still always Iya's best trait.

She had the most delicious lunch courtesy of the supplies that they got from Damienus's party. And all this she knew was because of the Blacksmith, Canaan. If he had not been so kind as to offer them their food AND the weapons that he was selling for the day, she would be dizzy with hunger by now. She glanced down at her hand and observed the knife she was carrying. It was quite different from the ones they used to steal from Canaan everyday. This knife's sheathe was carved out with a tribal sort of design bearing the name of the maker. The blade's handle was covered with a soft material making it very easy to grasp by a woman without roughing up their usually delicate hands. She found it such a delight to hold although it was too bad they were going to sell it anyway. Kiko instructed his party to have a weapon each and split up to sell them. Iya found it a pity, if she had enough money she'd buy it from Kiko herself.

Her amusement has apparently attracted an audience. As fate would have it Staple Wire, the thief, was tossing his blade in the air, catching them with skill and throwing them again as he leaned against a wall. Being a self-proclaimed genius when it comes to dames, Staple tipped the hat of his "Western Grace" as the acolyte passed, putting on his most charming smile.

"G'afternoon, miss. That's a mighty fine knife there. I know a thing or two about them myself. What's a pretty little thing like you doing with such a weapon?" Staple asked trying not to sound too forward. But Iya wasn't one to scare easy since she had been living with bandits all her life.

"Well it _IS_ a nice knife. These days, you never know when some rascal will try to take advantage of a defenseless, young lady. Better to be prepared." Was Iya's cool reply, stopping in front of the thief to observe him. "Are you interested enough to spend some money for it?"

Buying the knife was far from Staple's intentions as he took off his Western Grace to take a glance at the pretty acolyte before him. He and Shinbo had some time to wander around Prontera to look for supplies upon orders from their new mistress who was, shockingly enough, an assassin princess. Those kinds of things didn't happen everyday so he and Shinbo took the chance to aid the princess in her search for a particular swordsman. Although Staple found it odd for Princess Dukesa to search for a specific man —she could have any man she wanted—he thought that when the time comes that he would be an assassin, being in the princess's good side would help him in the future. It didn't hurt that his new mistress was quite a looker too.

"Sure, but my money isn't with me at a moment, its with my friends down at the inn. Would you wait here or---?"

"No, I'll come with you. _The Happy Poring Inn_, right? It's near, anyway." Iya smiled. Besides she was feeling pretty thirsty. It was turning out to be a pretty hot day.

* * *

_**Roughly 7 Kilometers off the outskirts of Fisherbough Forest**_

_Now where the hell have those damned Martins gone???_

Cloune the swordsman wiped a few beads of sweat off his brow as he continued searching for those small, gopher-like monsters that have been eluding him for the past few days. The sun was extraordinarily hot this afternoon but tolerable enough what with the wind blowing a steady gait. He shook a few pieces of flying grass that got stuck on the chinks of his shoulder's armor plating, cringing a bit when he saw a few cracks on it. Maybe he'd go into town the next day to have them replaced. Those damned, damned, DAMNED Martins will get it first, though…

He unsheathes his sword and swings it a bit in the air to loosen his muscles, stopping only to notice a group of people walking towards him. Nothing unusual about seeing a bunch of travellers walking around in these parts. But nothing for the life of Cloune, could there be a louder party than the one heading his way.

"Can't we just rest for a while? C'mon… my legs are gonna come off if we walk another step." An acolyte in the group whined. A blacksmith in the group who had silver hair and deep blue eyes frowned at the comment.

"No. We have to pass through Fisherbough forest before night. We're already behind as it is."

An old priest who was obviously the leader walked up to where the blacksmith was.

"We've walked quite a long way already, mister Canaan. Maybe we do need to rest a bit. Its high noon and the heat is eating up our energy."

"No. No time. We have to get across before night." Was the firm reply.

Cloune smiled and walked up to the small group, sheathing his sword to say he comes in peace.

"Well hey there, folks. Fancy seeing a bunch of travellers on the way to Fisherboughs. Could you by chance be heading to Payon? If so, it would honor me if you would invite me in your little party." Cloune said, his brown eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation for adventure.

"Nothing doing. We can manage." The blacksmith shot back quickly, giving him a cold stare.

"Why Canaan! That's very rude of you!" Lilly, the mage of the group stepped forward, "Of course, you're welcome, Sir Swordsman. I'm Lilly Loran. The acolyte goes by the name of Roxy. The swordsmaiden is Rahne. Our teacher, Master Damienus is the priest and the rude blacksmith is Canaan." Lilly said, hoping the introductions would mean that they weren't all as distrusting as their blacksmith. But Cloune didn't seem concerned.

"Nice to meet you all. My name's Cloune. I'm a mid-level swordsman looking for adventure. Don't worry about supplies, I've got my own. And I don't need much to get through the journey, anyway." Cloune smiled, winking at Rahne who just blushed.

"Well it's settled then," Roxy suddenly blurted out, finding their newest party member cute as hell, "Cloune will accompany us through Fisherboughs. So it doesn't matter if we get there by nightfall, we will have protection from a noble warrior!"

All three girls giggled and Damienus welcomed their embarassed guest. But Canaan said nothing and went on in the front, praying that they indeed were correct.

* * *

Cloune's adventure stories, told from when he was just a novice till his swordsman days, were very entertaining and the group, but more particularly the girls, did not seem the least bit uncomfortable despite the dark and creepy surroundings of Fisherboughs forest. Because of a lot of stops along the way, they have entered the forest by nightfall much to Canaan's dismay. But the girls never seemed to mind, as long as Cloune was talking and walking along with them. 

" ...and that was when I realized that the Pecopeco I killed was someone else's pet! I ran as fast as I could away from there. The next morning, there was a warrant out for a pet killer and the pet belonged to General Dragonz himself! Man, did I stay low after that one!" Cloune said with a laugh. The girls laughed with him. Damienus just smiled. He caught a long glance or two from Cloune in Rahne's direction and figured that their must be something brewing between the two young ones. Rahne was his charge and for a while he felt that he should be a little more protective, but these were the kinds of things that Damienus wished Rahne would get herself into. Maybe a little romance would help her forget her past. Canaan's gruff voice startled all of them.

"We should all pipe down. We're gonna attract trouble with all your blabberin'." Canaan harumphed. Cloune smiled apologetically but all the girls scowled at the blacksmith.

"All you attract are flies. Quit being such a coward." Roxy sneered. "Besides, no monster in their right mind would dare attack us right now."

"**I DO BEG TO DIFFER, YOUNG LADY**."

A booming voice bellowed out from the dark. Instantly, Cloune unsheathed his sword. Damienus fired up his sp force. Only Canaan didn't seem to move much. But his face was grim. To the amazement of everyone, he took a step forward.

"Mordekai, is that you and your band of idiots?" he asked. A small chuckle could be heard then some rustling.

"Why if it isn't Canaan, the cowardly blacksmith. Weren't the terms clear enough? Or did you need it to be pounded through your skull... literally?" The deep voice answered back. There was some rustling from the south as well.

"These people didn't know you were here. They aren't a scout patrol or anything. They're just passing through. I'm guiding them." Canaan talked back. If he felt any fear, it was not shown on his face or voice.

"Canaan, Canaan, Canaan... When will it occur to you that we couldn't care any less? And so what if they were a scout patrol? As if that would scare us off." A husky laugh followed. And what was one voice was joined by numerous others and soon the entire forest echoed with shrill laughter. It was impossible to estimate how many of them were hiding but Canaan figured it was the entire tribe.

"I don't like this..." Rahne whispered to herself. Lilly and Roxy huddled closer to Cloune, knowing that the noble warrior would protect them. Damienus fired his sp force a notch higher and took a step towards Canaan.

"Are these men aggressive?" Damienus asked, his eyes scanning the shadowy forest.

"They're not men." Canaan replied without looking back.

As if on cue, a figure emerged from the brushes ahead. Damienus frowned at the sight. A hulking figure bounded from the shadows. It was around 7 foot high with heavily muscular arms and legs. It wore torn pants of a light color but all filthy with dirt. The skin color was a light shade of blue and looked leathery and rough. It stood straight like a man and walked on two legs but the face had hideous irregularities. The ears were pointed and had numerous piercings and scars. The nostrils were large and flared up and the eyes glowered with hatred.

"Its an orc? A high orc?" Damienus gasped.

"That's a rather impolite term, my good priest. The correct label would be _ELITE ORC_. We're pretty much higher in the evolutionary journey than our dim-witted cousins." The orc said with a smile. He had a touch of aristocracy in his accent. Compared to his looks, it sounded eerie.

"I've never heard of the sort. And I've had my fair share of research on orcs. How did you stay unknown all this time?" Lilly bravely joined the conversation, cowering just a bit when the Mordekai glared at her then shook his head.

"Such confidence in today's generation. You read a book and you think you've learned everything. Judging that you're a mage, young miss, it's a pretty amusing thought that your obviously incorrect observation translates to Geffen being overrated as the center for learning in Midgard. Such a shame." Mordekai said with an evil grin.

"Well... I never..." Lilly started to protest but found it utterly ridiculous to be having such a conversation with a monster. The orc was talking like her instructors back in the Geffen academy. To be patronized by such a being...

"I'm telling you one last time Mordekai, these people were just passing through Fisherbough to get to Payon. In. Out. Isn't that idea fairly simple or do you have to make everything so complicated?" Canaan glanced a bit at Lilly and the others hinting to the group to shut up and let him do the talking.

The orc leaned on a tree, folded his arms together and put on a tired expression.

"Your incessant pleading is becoming tiresome, Blacksmith… the terms were we leave you alone and you make sure we were left alone as well, make sure no chance patrols would enter these parts--"

"And on what power would Canaan have on stopping travelers or patrols by himself? He's not any sort of authoritative figure!" Roxy burst out as she, like Lilly, could not believe that a dumb orc was talking them down.

"I don't know... By being his usual annoying self? By killing everyone who passes? Making up some old-wives tale? I don't care. The point is we had a deal, and this time I can't let it slide." The orc smiled with yellow teeth, glancing at his orc comrades who inched a little closer to Damienus's party.

The Master Priest and the others huddled back, looking warily at every side as more orcs moved into the clearing. Cloune gave a momentary look at Rahne and the two swordsmen put up positions on either side of the group, enclosing the magic users Lilly and Roxy. Damienus stood in the front as he started chanting phrases to aid the team with Divine magic. Only Canaan didn't budge from his spot as he stood between his partymates and Mordekai.

Mordekai motioned to another orc and he was handed a massive sword, as wide as a tree trunk and looked like it weighed as much as its owner. He held it in his right hand as his left motioned for some elite archers to take aim.

"Sometimes being so smart has its downsides. Subtlety was never in my family bloodline. Pity that. But I try. Once in a while though, I tend to let out my barbaric tendencies. It relieves me of pre-invasion stress..." The orc sighed and started walking forward. The archers tensed their bowstrings.

"Pre-invasion?" The Swordsman, Cloune, echoed, looking as dumbfounded as everybody.

"Everybody! Focus!" Damien shouted to the group as he turned his attention towards the Blacksmith to shower him with holy aura.

That was when Canaan suddenly disappeared from everyone's view.

* * *

_**The Happy Poring Inn, Prontera**_

"I will ask you one more time, acolyte... where did you get this knife?"

"I... I..."

Iya was getting pretty embarrassed. She had followed Staple Wire to the Happy Poring Inn to the second floor and into a private room where she met a curiously familiar-looking thief named Shinbo and a hooded figure seated at a table that Staple Wire referred to only as "Mistress." The lady was quiet enough as Staple explained that he thought the knife would make a nice weapon. It was when Iya showed the knife that all hell broke loose.

Iya looked around and saw surprised looks in the faces of both Staple and Shinbo. She didn't know what to say herself. The Mistress took one look at the knife and suddenly started asking questions aggressively. The hooded lady rose from the table and slammed her fist on the table, making the thieves feel thankful that they were in a private room.

"ANSWER ME IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!"

"Given... Blacksmith... wasn't..."

"A BLACKSMITH?? ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE NOT MISTAKEN ABOUT HIS JOB CLASS??!"

"I... jeans and axes and..."

Princess Dukesa sighed tiredly and snatched the knife from the table. The three other people in the room just stared blankly at each other as the princess walked towards a nearby window looking out at the night sky. She stared at the knife, noting the almost-imperceptible initials carved under the name "Canaan". The initials were two letters, D and W.

"A Blacksmith, then... Hmph... Very well... I will see you soon... Canaan..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S HOWLS**

Yes, I know its kind of a bridge chapter but it did its job of progressing the story in the way I wanted it to. Chapter 6 might come up a bit late because... as you guessed it... ACTION!!! And since I believe this is my forte, I want to make sure I still have the magic, its been a while, really. Anyway, I sure do hope you readers are still out there to spare a few seconds for a review or two. It's the stuff that makes this tired old wolf continue telling more tales. See you in Chapter 6!


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